The Dream Time
by Ryosei Takashi Hime
Summary: The Tennysons discover a strange girl in an Arizona desert. She's running from someone and Ben can't wait to meet him. The first two chapters are crud. If you can make it past them it gets better.
1. Escape

I do not claim to be an expert on Aboriginal mysticism. In fact the only thing I knew about prior to my brief research via wikipedia was the Dreamtime itself. This is also my first Ben 10 fanfiction so I'm still getting used to the characters.

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The night sky was clear and a full moon lit her path as she scurried along the dry, flat land before her. She had been running for days and she didn't know if she could keep it up anymore. It was risky trying to continue at night when he was most active. She knew this but she kept going anyways. She couldn't stop running now. She had to put as much distance between herself and that demon as possible. She wouldn't let him capture her again. This time she wouldn't stop for anyone or anything. She had to keep running until she reached the ends of the earth if necessary.

Her legs were beginning to weaken and her lungs felt as though they would give out at any moment. She slowed her steps and gradually came to a complete stop, bending over with her hands on her knees. She would have to take a moment to catch her breath. Surely she had a moment if nothing more. He had been so far behind her the last time she had checked. She brushed the green bangs from her face as she straightened up and threw her head back to stare up into the starry sky. She placed a hand to the hideous scar that covered most of the right side of her face. She closed her dark brown eye and let out a deep breath before concentrating on the image of her pursuer. Where was he now?

She found herself in a similar area now but much taller. Her skin was pale as snow rather than dark brown. Her bare feet were huge as they pushed her much larger bulk along the desert. He was close but how close? Why did this whole place look so much alike? She squeezed her eye closed tighter as she tried to pinpoint his location. She had been there recently. Very recently. As she passed a large boulder in her pursuer's body she realized he was right behind her. Her own body was just ahead!

She gasped and just as she opened her eye she felt a hand tangle in her long hair. She screamed as he pulled her back and wrapped his arms around her waist. She struggled against his hold but her arms were pinned to her side now. She screamed and kicked at the air but his grip didn't loosen. As she jerked around a small wooden charm on a string about her neck bounced against his hand. It began to glow a light yellow and his crystal blue eye widened slightly.

"Let me go!" she cried into the night.

"Gemini, wait!" the man shouted.

He knew she wouldn't heed his call. He felt a pressure on his chest as his body lifted from the ground. He flew across the empty landscape with a silent frown and braced himself for his landing. He hit the very edge of the boulder behind them and bounced off, rolling across the ground. Gemini didn't look back to see if he had survived or not. She just kept running. If she could last a few more minutes she would be fine. If she could only last until sunrise.

"Now, Gemini. That wasn't very nice." he hissed as he stood.

She wouldn't turn to face him but she could hear the change in his voice. She knew he was preparing to attack her again. She barely survived the last beating he bestowed upon her. She wouldn't make it through another even if he did want her alive. Gemini wouldn't stop running but she turned around anyways. She continued to run backwards though she had to slow down or risk tripping. He was coming after her already, his fingernails growing long and black. His visible eye was slanting and glowing yellow as he drew closer.

Gemini put both hands out in front of her as she stumbled along and the charm around her neck rose from her chest. It floated between her palms but nothing was happening. She was too tired to make an offensive move. She would have to resort to defense. She screamed as he lunged at her but his razor sharp fingernails hit an invisible shield around her. It was all she could do at the moment. It wouldn't last long. She stopped suddenly and he slammed against the shield again. She screamed as she pushed all the energy in her body outward. The shield burst in his face and sent him tumbling away. That would buy her some time.

She turned to run again but found herself unable to move. She couldn't even blink. She gasped as she fell to her knees and her body bent over so that her nose almost touched the ground. Her arms were spread out before her and she couldn't bring them back to her side though she tried her hardest. It made her sick to be forced into bowing to him. She could hear his footsteps as he made his way around to her front. He allowed her to raise herself enough to look up at him after a moment but her legs still wouldn't obey her commands to run.

The man's red hair fell over the right side of his face as he bent over her and the moonlight glinted off the fangs that adorned his malicious grin. She watched as his hand reached out towards her in what seemed to be slow motion. It wasn't reaching for her face and it wasn't striking her in fury. It was slowly making its way to her charm. The pointed fingers were slowly wrapping around it and she felt something in her heart snap as he began to pull.

"Not my tjurunga! Damion, please?"

"It allows you to defy me, Gemini." he replied, his grip loosening as he frowned at her. "I'll give it back when I'm done with you. For now, it proves to be an annoyance I can not tolerate."

"I'll help you!" she cried, desperation in her eyes. "Don't take it. I'll help you. I promise."

"You've already promised me that." Damion laughed. "You can't be trusted with the power it endows you with anyways."

She felt panic engulf her as he began to pull again. One little tug would be all it took and the frail string that held her precious charm close to her would snap. Her bond with the Dreamtime would be severed! The last remaining possession that tied her to the past would be broken and she would lose herself again. She would become an empty shell wandering the desert alone. She closed her eye tightly as she remembered those long, cold nights. No... No, she wouldn't face that emptiness again! Not again...

"NOT AGAIN!" she shouted.

Damion's hand felt as though it were on fire but he refused to release the charm. Rays of light shone through his fingers brightly and a beam hit his visible eye. His face screwed up in a look of utter pain and he released the tjurunga at last with a cry of agony. Gemini watched as he bent over, holding his face in his hands but her legs still wouldn't move. She put her hands out and aimed the tjurunga at him as it shone brighter. He squirmed under the bright light.

"Sunlight!" he screeched, trying to crawl away from the beam. "Suuuunliiight!"

Gemini stared in awe as he began to grow smaller and blacker. He was turning into a scorpion and she felt his hold on her legs grow weak as he scurried away from the light emitting from her tjurunga. She grew more confident at his pain and began to chase after him, shining the light down on his smaller form. She knew she should be putting distance between them but she couldn't help exploiting his weakness while she had the chance. Her tjurunga had never emitted sunlight before and she doubted it ever would again.

Unfortunately it didn't take long for the light to fade and she gasped as it disappeared suddenly. Damion turned to face her in his scorpion form and she feared he would return to his true form now. However, he didn't. She looked up to find that the sky was beginning to shine with a hint of orange. The real sun was coming up. She smiled at her fortune but when she looked back down Damion had gone.

"You'll regret this act." his voice hissed from behind.

Gemini turned to face him but he was nowhere to be seen. She stared around her in panic for a moment before a sharp sting pierced her back. She fell to her knees and groaned in pain as the sun grew brighter around her. She didn't even notice the scorpion that crawled out of her shirt and into a nearby hole. She rolled around on the ground as the pain spread. It was too much for her and she felt consciousness slipping from her grasp. Now she would never be able to put enough distance between them before the sun set again. She clutched her tjurunga tightly as she fell into a dreamless sleep.

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"Alright kids." Grandpa grunted as he stepped down from the Rust Bucket. "I'm gonna take a look at the engine."

Ben and Gwen climbed out behind him with looks of exasperation. Arizona's dry heat was getting to them and Gwen had gotten sick and tired of Ben's jokes about her sweaty pits. She punched him in the shoulder one good time as he opened his mouth to make another one. He just rubbed his shoulder and stuck his tongue out at her as they wandered around to the other side of the RV. Ben stretched and leaned against the Rust Bucket with a yawn. Gwen scooted a few steps away from him as he did so with a hand over her nose.

"And you had the nerve to make jokes about me. What did you do, rub rotten eggs on your underarms for deodorant this morning?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who-"

"Ben, look!" she interrupted, pointing out at the empty desert beyond.

"What?" he snapped, turning to look as well.

He squinted his eyes and shielded them from the sun with a hand as he scanned the horizon. At first he didn't see anything but as his eyes focused he spotted a lump sticking out from the flat landscape. A very small, strange-looking lump. It took him a few moments to realize this lump was a human. He gasped and they both ran out to the stranger. Ben squatted beside her and put a hand out to touch her arm. He pulled it back as she stirred. She was dressed a little warmly for traveling through the desert. Her pin-striped shirt was long-sleeved and she wore stockings with her short similarly patterned skirt. She even had on a sleeveless coat of some sort.

"Gwen, go get Grandpa!"

Gwen nodded and ran back towards the Rust Bucket for help. Ben's eyes were drawn back to the stranger as she sat up with a look of pain on her face. The hair that was hanging over her eyes fell and he gasped at the sight of her scarred eye. He was so interested in this disgusting disfigurement that he almost didn't notice that her ears were slightly pointed. She stretched her back with a groan and coughed a few times before looking up at him.

"Damion!" she croaked, pushing at Ben's chest weakly.

"What? No. I'm Ben." he corrected. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you."

She blinked rapidly and relaxed as she realized it was still light out. She rubbed her head with a groan. She still had a headache. She wasn't sure what kind of scorpion Damion had turned into but it's sting hadn't been fatal. She wondered how much time she had before the sun set. She looked up as two more strangers came running over to them. An old man and a little girl. And beyond them...an RV. She looked back to the boy who called himself Ben and stared into his eyes sternly.

"I have to go somewhere. You're going to take me."

"Rude much?" Gwen asked, thrusting a bottle of water at her. "Near death's no excuse for bad manners, you know."

Gemini glared at her but made no comment. She gulped down the whole water in one go then threw the bottle behind her. She grabbed Ben's shoulder and he almost fell face forward as she used him to push herself up. He rubbed his shoulder once she released it and stood as well. She stumbled as she moved forward. It looked as though she were trying to run but her legs wouldn't hold her for long. She fell to her knees.

"Hey, lady. You okay?" Ben asked, running after her.

"Take me from this place." she repeated. "I must...keep moving."

Ben gasped as she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down to her face.

"He'll come back for me. Keep...moving..."

She lost her grip and fell to the ground again. The others joined him at her side and Max turned her over. He checked her pulse then lifted her into his arms after a moment. She opened her eye with a fluttering of lashes as the sunlight flitered through into her dilated pupil. Maybe that scorpion sting had been fatal after all. She tried to bring her hand up to her tjurunga as she was carried towards the RV but it fell limply to her side.

"Is she gonna be okay Grandpa?" Gwen asked.

"I don't know, Gwen." he replied with a worried look. "It's probably just the heat. Let's get her inside and I'll get the RV running again."

Ben and Gwen sat by her side as she rested on Grandpa's bed and watched over her. She seemed to be sleeping but her neck muscles were somewhat jerky and her eye rolled around under her the lid. Gwen even took to her spell book to find a healing spell but she had no luck. Gemini felt as though she were on fire as she floated between waking and sleeping. She could feel the Tennysons looming over her. It was almost as though she could actually see them. They had a shimmering green glow to their silhouettes. She felt at ease after a while and fell into sleep once more.


	2. Awaken

When Gemini awoke she sat straight up immediately. She had no idea where she was! And it was dark! She almost fell off whatever she had been resting on as she twisted around. Something was holding her captive. Damion must have found her while she slept. No! No! She couldn't be in his possession again. She pulled at the ties that bound her with strangled sobs but her arms were weak. She pulled and kicked with all the energy left in her body but she only succeeded in tangling herself further. She was almost ready to give up for the time being when she heard someone approaching her.

"Get away!" she screamed, kicking at what she believed to be Damion. "Don't touch me! Don't touch me!"

She struggled as she felt arms wrap around her but they didn't squeeze the breath from her lungs as she had suspected. Though she continued to squirm and kick at the person their hands calmly pulled at the restraints that pinned her arms to her chest. These restraints were soft and large. Not ropes. Not even magical binding. It was cloth. Sheets and covers. She stopped struggling as they fell to the floor and noticed that the hands holding them were too small to be Damion's. They were too small and far too feminine.

"There we go." the little girl whispered. "Sorry about that. Ben tucked you in and he's...an idiot."

"Who are you?" Gemini whispered, peering around into the darkness.

With her one eye she knew the darkness was deeper for her than the little girl who had freed her from the sheets. She was in a very small, confined place. There was another set of beds. The old man and little boy were sleeping on the bottom bunk. She sat up slowly and put a hand to her back as a sharp sting sent shivers down her spine. That scorpion bite again. It only took a moment for her to vaguely remember what had happened.

"I'm Gwen." she heard the girl say. "We found you-"

"I know that!" she snapped. "Where are we now? Why aren't we moving? I said we had to keep moving!"

"Well, we usually sleep at night and drive - HEY!"

Gemini had pushed her out of the way. In the light of the moon shining through a window she had seen a glint of silver. She stumbled over to the table they obviously ate at and snatched the keys from their resting place on the wall. She supported herself with the table for a moment but before Gwen could grab her she had moved towards the front of the RV. Gwen gasped as she slid into the driver's seat. She wasn't really going to steal their RV was she? Not with them inside it. No one could be that desperate.

"Grandpa! Grandpa, wake up!" Gwen shouted, shaking him.

Max hadn't heard her but it didn't matter. The minute the RV's engine revved both Max and Ben sat straight up. They hit their heads on the top bunk and fell back to their pillows for a moment but Grandpa recovered quickly. He shot out of bed, leaving Ben to roll around in agony with his hands over the top of his aching skull.

"What's going on?!" Max asked, still disoriented.

"That girl's trying to steal the Rust Bucket!" Gwen shouted, pointing at the driver's seat.

It wasn't exactly necessary because the minute she pointed the RV took off at top speed. Ben rolled out of bed with a cry of surprise and rammed into Gwen. They both slid under the table. Max managed to keep his footing and reached for an overhead compartment. Ben and Gwen poked their heads out in time to see him grab a small device that looked like a barcode scanner.

"What're you gonna do, Grandpa, scan her to death?" Ben scoffed.

"It's a tasser gun!" he shouted as he approached Gemini. "And it's on high, if you get my meaning, young lady!"

"I can't stop!" she screamed back. "He moves at night! If I stop he'll find me! Then we'll all suffer!"

"I said pull over!" Max commanded. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"If you want me to stop that badly you're gonna have to old man." she whispered. "I'm not going back there with him. I'll die first!"

"Where are you heading?" he asked, lowering the tazzer slowly.

"Anywhere! Away from him!"

"How do you know you aren't heading towards him?" Ben asked, grabbing onto the back of the seat as he came up behind them.

Gemini's eye widened and she slammed on the brakes. The Rust Bucket slid in almost a full circle as it came to a stop and Ben was slammed against the seat with a groan of pain. Gemini clutched the steering wheel and took deep breaths as she looked around at the monotonous landscape of the desert. Where was she? Had she been this way yet? What if she had just back tracked her entire journey. She could be right back where she had last seen him! He could be right outside the RV waiting for her! She slammed her head on the steering wheel with a scream of frustration and Max raised an eyebrow.

"Alright. Well, why don't you get in the passenger seat and I'll drive now, Miss..."

"Gemini." she sobbed, shaking her head on the wheel. "My name is Gemini Sarrow."

"I'm Max Tennyson." he replied, putting a large hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll help you. Just tell us what's wrong."

Gemini wiped her eyes as she stood from the seat but she didn't sit down beside Max who was too busy buckling up to notice yet. Ben and Gwen stared as she stumbled past them and laid back down on Grandpa's bed. She curled up into a ball and put her arms over her head. When Max noticed she wasn't with them anymore he stared back at her as well. He looked concerned. He was certain this girl was running from some form of abuse. Ben began to walk towards her with good intentions but Max grabbed his shoulder anyways.

"Leave her alone. When she wants to talk to us she will. Now," he yawned. "You two get some more shut eye and I'll keep us moving."

"Are you sure Grandpa? I could stay up front with you." Ben offered, rubbing one blood-shot eye.

"No, no. You need your rest."

Ben just shrugged and returned to his bunk. He was asleep again in no time but Gwen just tossed and turned. She could hear slight whimpers coming from Gemini's general area and she felt so sorry for the girl. Even if Ben was too dense to notice she was able to come to the same conclusion as Max. Someone had been beating her. Gwen sat up after an hour and stared down at her. She still maintained her fetal position and she definitely wasn't sleeping. However one hand had moved away from her head at some point and it now clutched something to her chest. Gwen hopped down from the top bunk. She knew Grandpa didn't want them to disturb her but she didn't think she could stand to listen to her whimper all night.

Gemini didn't move or make any indication that she had heard her descent so Gwen took a few steps towards her. She tried to keep her steps light and silent so neither Grandpa nor Gemini heard her. She crept towards the older girl's bed and held her breath as she got a few tip-toes away. She stopped suddenly and glanced back at Grandpa but he was too busy focusing on staying awake to notice Gwen.

"Hey, Gemini." she whispered.

"What?" the coarse voice returned sharply.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm dandy, a'right? I'm dandy as a daffedile on Tuesday."

Gwen couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the odd term. However the sarcasm it dripped with kept her from laughing at least. She took the last two steps towards the bed and sat down on the edge gently. Gemini felt it sink a little under her meager weight. She didn't say anything so Gwen took it as a sign of acceptance. She didn't know what else to say for a moment. What else was there to say? She couldn't just come out and ask her if she had been abused. That would be showing a level of tact belonging to people of Ben's intelligence. She felt the only way to communicate her sympathy was through touch. So she placed a hand on her back and rubbed it softly with hopes that she wouldn't turn around and break her arm off.

"Gwen..." Gemini gasped at the touch. "That...really...hurts! Stop, stop, stop!"

Gwen jerked back as she sat up suddenly and tried to put her hands up to the center of her back. Failing at this she dropped to the bed face first and rolled around a little, moaning in pain. Gwen didn't know if she could hear the apology she was trying to give her through her own sounds of agony. She sat up after a few minutes and wiped the tears from her eyes with a sigh of frustration.

"Let me see." Gwen insisted, reaching for her shirt.

Gemini turned around so quickly it startled Gwen. She was further startled when Gemini's small fingers snapped around her wrist and squeezed. Gwen didn't know if Gemini knew she was squeezing so hard or not but it was becoming painful. She closed her eyes as Gemini glared at her.

"Don't touch me."

"I'm sorry."

She threw Gwen's hand back at her as though it were some object and dropped back to the bed. Gwen stood and backed away from her, slightly confused. One minute she felt sorry for the girl and the next she was trying to kill them all. She didn't get it. Was she even grateful that they saved her life - that they were probably still in the process of saving it - or was she just the kind of person who went through life expecting people to do things for them? Gwen sighed as she joined Grandpa in the front.

"Couldn't sleep?"

She shook her head silently, staring out the window as the ground whizzed by and wondering when they'd reach civilization again.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Just our psycho hitch hiker slash car theif back there."

"What, is she still awake?"

"Yeah and she tried to break my wrist."

"What?!" Grandpa demanded, slamming on the breaks.

"Aaww! Not again!" Ben cried from the back. "Geez, doesn't a super hero deserve a little sleep?!"

Grandpa ignored him and stared at Gwen sternly.

"Well, she didn't try to literally break it." Gwen corrected, looking sheepish. "I mean, she just squeezed it...I touched her back and it hurt. When I tried to see what was wrong she just grabbed my hand. That's all."

Gwen wasn't quite sure why she was standing up for her now. She did still feel sorry for the girl. She probably had a reason to do what she did. If someone was abused sometimes they didn't like to be touched. Gwen had seen stuff like that on movies before after all. However, Grandpa still looked angry and she was surprised to find him storming back to the bed. She followed after him quickly and Gemini was already sitting up when he got there.

"What?" she demanded.

"You owe my granddaughter an apology."

"For what?" she sneered.

"It's alright Grandpa, really." Gwen insisted.

"She touched me." Gemini muttered, begrudingly. "I didn't mean to hurt her, okay?"

"What's wrong with your back?" Max went on, staring her down.

"Nothing." Gemini grumbled, looking away. "It's nothing."

"If you need medical attention-"

"A scorpion stung me, okay?! It's nothing! It wasn't poisonous!"

"How do you know that?" Gwen asked.

"She's right Gwen. It couldn't have been." Grandpa confirmed. "There aren't any deadly scorpions in the Arizona deserts. But you could be allergic. Now let me see it."

Gemini sighed and turned, sitting cross-legged on the bed. She removed her jacket and put her hands to the bottom of her shirt, hesitating for a moment. Then she pulled the back up enough for Max to see her injury. Gwen gasped at the sight of it. The small sting in the center of her back had swollen up and turned a sickly purple color. She winced and arched her back as a finger poked it suddenly. Gwen and Grandpa looked down at Ben sternly.

"What? You keep a guy awake then he can't even poke a gross scorpion sting to make it worth while?" he asked, increduously.

"No. Now don't touch it again." Max reprimanded.

"Especially if you value that finger." Gemini muttered.

"Hey, we're helping you out lady." Ben replied. "You think you could at least try to be nice."

Gemini turned and glared at him silently. Gwen saw her eyes water up but she didn't cry. She turned her back to them again and crossed her arms. Max went and got the first aid kit to find something for her sting. He returned with a needle and Gwen winced as she watched him inject the strange girl with some kind of serum. She didn't even know Grandpa was prepared for scorpion bites but then again what wasn't he prepared for? Once he'd finished they all just stared at Gemini's back in silence.

"Sooo..." Ben said after a while. "What're we running from anyways?"

"Damion." Gemini whispered.

"Yeah, you said that before." he replied. "But who is he? Is he a normal guy or an alien or a vampire? What?"

"Demon."

"He's a demon?" Gwen gasped. "Do you mean that literally?"

"I know you don't believe me."

"Oh, no. We believe you." Ben smirked. "Now we just need to find him and kick his butt!"

"What're you - You must be insane! Do you know what he will do to you if you attack him?!" she demanded, turning on Ben. "We should still be moving! If he finds me -"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure he seems real tough to you but trust me I can handle him."

"You're quite confident. I'll assume you possess some kind of skill." she admitted. "However, despite who you have faced in the past there is no one like Damion in this world."

"And there's no one like me on this world either." he shot back. "You'll see!"

Ben held up a fist and Gemini noticed the device around his wrist for the first time. She could see that it shone a bright green in her real eye but when she closed it another light shone around it. It was a color she had never seen before in her life. Many colors and yet no color at all. There was something very odd about this watch. The boy himself still shone a shimmering green but as she turned her head she noticed that the girl shone with a different color. It was turning purple for a moment. When she opened her eye she saw that the sun was rising outside the window and the strangers who were so generously helping her were returning to their beds.

"Hopefully..." she whispered as Ben turned his back to her. "I won't."


	3. Confrontation

Gemini was already awake when Max crawled out of bed. She was sitting at the table with a coffee cup in her hand. She stared down into it as steam rose silently and swirled around the space before her eyes. He stretched with a yawn before approaching her but she didn't seem to notice him. Her thumbs rested against the rim of the mouth and his attention was suddenly drawn to the fact that she was missing the nails on both. When he looked down into the coffee cup he saw that it was nothing but water. Boiling hot water was a strange way to start the day but who was he to judge? He got himself some coffee and sat down across from her but still she did not notice him. He cleared his throat after a moment of silence.

"Morning, Gemini." he said cheerfully. "Or afternoon, I guess."

"G'day." she responded dryly.

"You can have some coffee if you want."

"No thank you." she replied, eye never leaving the steaming water. "When do we start moving again?"

"Well, I think we've left him pretty far behind by now, don't yo-"

"He's close!" she snapped. "He's gotten very close. Damion is faster than a human."

"I see. Why don't you tell me a little more about him so I'll know what we're up against."

Gemini's eye narrowed and the water began to bubble. Max watched as an abundance of steam burst from the mouth of the coffee cup. It swirled around Gemini's face and he was surprise it didn't burn her eye with its heat. She didn't so much as blink though. The bubbles began to calm down and disappeared all together eventually. In the ripples of the water Gemini could see that bright yellow eye again.

"He's a demon." she whispered. "He's fast. He's strong. He would destroy your grandson."

"I know Ben doesn't seem like much." Max laughed. "But he can fight. Whether or not he can beat this Damion of yours is another matter."

"He took my eye." she whispered, almost too quietly to hear. "He wants me alive but he will not hesitate to harm me. To push my life to the edge. I've been near death more times than I can count."

"Don't worry. We're going to help you." Max assured her.

"Why?" she asked, voice hollow. "Why would you risk your lives to help someone you don't know?"

"Because you need us." Max replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You are fools." Gemini muttered, looking out the window. "He will find me. He always does."

Max had just opened his mouth to ask her how many times she had attempted to escape from Damion and what her relationship was to him when Ben awoke with a loud yawn. He rolled out of bed and stood from the floor, rubbing one eye as he stumbled over to them. Not really paying attention to who was sitting where, he crawled into the booth beside Gemini and slammed his head on the table.

"Breakfast." he groaned. "Hungry."

"Alright. I'll make some breakfast and then we'll set off again." Max said, making a quick exit.

"Why? Haven't we outran that guy yet?" Ben asked, lifting his head.

"No." Gemini replied, causing him to jump. "I checked last night. He's not very far away."

"What do you mean you checked?" Gwen asked, exiting the bathroom fully dressed.

"When did you get up?" Ben asked, glaring.

"Before you as usual." she replied, sliding into the booth across from Gemini. "So, how did you check?"

"My eye." she whispered, refusing to look at either of them. "I can see him with the eye that I no longer posess."

"...What?" Ben asked, sitting straight up with a look of interest.

"Damion took my right eye. Ever since I can see where he is if I close the one I have left. I think he keeps it on his person somewhere."

"That's awful." Gwen gasped. "Why did he do that?"

"Because he wanted it."

"For some kind of magic?" she asked, solemnly.

"I don't know. He's never told me. So drop it."

Ben just shrugged and put his face back on the table to await his most likely disgusting breakfast. Gwen, however, continued to stare at Gemini who wouldn't look anyone in the eye today. She wondered if this girl was human herself. Maybe she was a demon as well. Or were her strange features a result of Damion taking her eye? Maybe he had used it to make her his slave. If they only knew more about this Damion guy she might be able to at least guess at the situation. But Gemini didn't seem willing to talk about him. She seemed almost frightened to talk about him. She got the feeling Gemini knew why he had taken her eye. She was definitely hiding something about this particular detail.

Gemini refused to eat breakfast though Gwen wasn't sure if it was out of disgust for the food or not. She just returned to staring into her cup of water as Grandpa started the RV again. He yelled back to them that they would reach the nearest town in the next few days but Gemini didn't reply. Gwen wondered if they were going to drop her off somewhere or if they were going to continue escorting her across the country. How would they outrun someone so fast? Maybe Ben would really have to face him before they could truly save this stranger. Ben had already voiced his self confidence in this fact twice more as the day went on but Gemini seemed to be ignoring him for the most part.

"No, really." Ben insisted, trying to get her attention. "I can take him. If we just stop and let him catch up I can kick his butt. We can't keep hauling you around forever you know. We're only putting it off. I'm gonna have to fight him eventually."

"He would crush you." Gemini whispered, the first time she'd spoken since breakfast. "You don't understand."

"Well, how big is he? He's not, like, fifty feet tall or something, is he?" Ben asked.

"No. He is the size of a man. But his power his enormous. You wouldn't stand a chance."

"Why don't you just tell us about him?" Gwen asked. "He uses magic, doesn't he?"

Gemini looked out the window to see the sun's position. There were a few more hours until dark but it was fast approaching. She wondered where Damion was but if she tried to look now she doubted she'd see anything but the darkness of some hole he'd crawled into for the day. She knew Ben was right about running from Damion. It was always a useless struggle. Maybe she should let him risk his life to save her. He seemed to want it badly enough. But she couldn't have his death on her conscious either. She nodded her head silently at Gwen's question but she still wouldn't speak of him or his powers in detail. She had never told anyone of Damion entirely nor of herself. Even the people who had died trying to save her in the past had not known who they were dieing for when the end came. People were so eager to throw their lives away for someone they didn't know. She would never understand it.

They came to a screeching halt suddenly and Gemini gasped as her water spilled onto the table. She stood and practically pushed Ben out of his seat as she ran up front to see what had happened. Maybe, if she was lucky, they had stopped because there was an animal in the road. She begged the universe have that much pity on her as she pushed forward. Ben and Gwen followed her but she stopped suddenly when Grandpa stood with a sigh. He shook his head slightly and glanced outside at the dimming sky. They still had some time before the sun would set entirely. Maybe he could get the RV running again before that happened.

"I'll see if I can fix it." he stated, heading outside. "Ben, you stay with the girls. Be ready just in case I can't get it going in time."

"Don't worry, Grandpa." Ben smirked, holding that watch up again. "I'm fully charged and ready to go."

"Good. I'll be right back."

Gemini was about to follow after him but he closed the door behind him. She stared at it in shock for a moment. They were broken down in the middle of nowhere and Damion was heading right for them. If he didn't get that RV fixed soon he would be dead. Damion wouldn't care that he was old or innocent. If Max stood between him and her Damion would not hesitate to cut him down. She watched out the window solemnly as the sun began to set. It seemed to be moving in slow motion as it always did when she dreaded the sunset. It sank beyond the horizon at last and she put her hands to her bowed head.

"It's too late now." she whispered as the last rays of sunlight disappeared. "It's too late."

"So?" Ben asked, dropping his feet from the table. "Let's go outside and wait for him."

"Youth warrants much confidence but seldom does it warrant much skill." she sighed, looking up. "If you wish to prove me wrong then let's meet him but do not expect me to stay if you begin to lose."

"Fair enough." Ben said with a shrug.

He stood and Gwen followed him outside with Gemini trailing behind them. She stopped at the last step and stared out into the ever darkening night. She closed one eye and let out a deep breath as she concentrated on finding Damion. Ben and Gwen turned to watch her but said nothing. She found herself speeding across the desert once again on those huge, pale feet. His bulk seemed heavy to her. Heavy to him. She felt herself stumble. He was growing tired trying to keep up with the RV. That was somewhat of a consolation. She smiled slightly in her real body at that sign of weakness making Ben and Gwen smile as well.

"He's close." she whispered, pointing to the right. "He's coming from that direction. And he's tired. You might manage to render him unconcious at least. That would give us time to gain ground."

Ben was smirking when she opened her eye and it was obvious he didn't mind having an advantage over his opponet. More noble warriors might have found this disappointing news but luckily for her Ben was not quite so noble. Max approached them once he'd noticed their presence.

"It's ready to go." he told them, wiping his hands on a rag.

"Aaaw." Ben moaned. "She just told me I could fight him."

"There's no need for that now, Ben." Grandpa argued. "Get back in-"

"There's no time!" Gemini exclaimed, eye closed once again. "He's here!"

Gwen was surprised when Gemini exited the RV suddenly and began to run in the opposite direction. In her fear she obviously hadn't even thought about stealing the Rust Bucket again. Gwen looked to the right to see a small dot in the distance. It grew closer very quickly and Ben turned his watch to his XLR8 icon. Just before he smashed it back down Gwen took off after Gemini. She didn't look back to see if Damion had arrived yet or not. She kept her eyes focused on Gemini's fluttering coat.

"Gemini, come back!" she called.

"No, I'm not going to go back there!"

Meanwhile, Ben had not gotten the alien he had asked for as usual. He wasn't as upset considering he'd gotten Four Arms. At least that gave him brute strength if not speed. Damion had finally arrived and Ben looked him over as he came to a stop, dust flying from his bare feet. He was dressed in jeans and what was probably a black t-shirt but the coat he had on reminded him of a midevil robe with huge, bell-shaped sleeves. It was white like Gemini's with a black stripe around the bottom.

"A tetramand?" he asked, narrowing his yellow eye.

"You know what I am?" Ben asked, astronished.

"Of course I do. I know...everything." Damion hissed with a grin.

"Then you must know I'm about to kick your butt!"

"Human child, do not tempt me with such an amusing proposition." he replied with a laugh. "Where is Gemini?"

"Thought you knew everything." Ben shot back though he was surprised to find Damion knew he was really a human.

"If you only stand aside I shall spare you. I'm not interested in slaughtering weak mortals at the moment."

"I don't think so, ugly. You want her you gotta go through me."

"Is that so?" he asked with a frown. "This is becoming exceedingly obnoxious child. If it is a fight you desire then I shall oblige."

Ben smirked at what he saw as a success but frowned as he found Damion directly in front of him. He immediately wished he'd gotten XLR8 when the demon's fist slammed against his face. He'd probably never taken such an agonizing punch. He got the feeling no human would have survived it and it almost felt like his jaw bone had shattered. He cried out in pain as he slid across the ground.

"Ben!" Max shouted.

"I'm alright!" he called back, sitting up with a hand to his mouth. "Stay back!"

"I give you one more chance child." Damion sighed, dropping his fist. "Give her to me."

"What do you want with Gemini?" Ben shouted back, pain seering through his entire skull as he did so.

"She belongs to me." he hissed icely. "She forged a contract with me nigh two hundred years ago my boy. She is quite literally mine."

"Two hundred years...?" Max whispered in shock.

"She will not accept the consequences of her own mistake. I have slaughtered many mortals in retrieving her many times before this night. You will not be the first nor will you be the last. I reiterate. This is your last chance."

"No!"

Ben shot up from the ground and Damion had obviously been counting on him giving up because Ben caught him by surprise. His face dropped and became the picture of shock as two of Ben's fists caught him in the jaw. One of them hit Damion in the stomach and the other pushed against his shoulder. He fell to the ground and yards away Gemini suddenly halted. Gwen caught up to her as she turned to stare back at the battle.

"He knocked him off his feet." she whispered, putting a hand up to her tjurunga. "He knocked him down."

"Ben _is_ an idiot." Gwen smiled. "But that doesn't mean he can't fight."

"I'm the only one who's ever knocked him down." Gemini continued to whisper. "Together...we may..."

Gwen jerked as Gemini ran back towards the RV again. She chased after her with a sigh. As they reached the battle Gemini stopped. Ben still had the demon pinned to the ground though he had to struggle to keep him there. Damion looked away from Ben's face and stared straight into Gemini's eye, glaring with a look that almost made Gwen drop to her knees in fear.

"Gemini." he hissed.

"I don't belong to you!!" Gemini shouted, thrusting her hands out.


	4. Anguish

I almost dropped this story because I lost interest in it for a while. Then I watched the Ben Ten-A-Thon the other day and I guess it got me back in the mood for it. So, I wrote about half of this tonight. Maybe a little less. The first half was written pretty much directly after I'd finished the last chapter. There'll be more chapters. I'm going to try to keep going for as long as I'm in the mood for Ben Ten. Otherwise I'll probably regress into Kim Possible which is what I was doing before I went back to work on this one. Anyone looking for the next chapter of Twisted Transition I'll probably have that up pretty soon though.

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Damion felt the familiar force of Gemini's energy slam into his side and he found himself pushed along the ground. Ben fell to the dusty earth as Damion slipped out from under him and hit the RV. The Rust Bucket tilted on two wheels and Gwen gasped as it slowly fell over with a crash. Damion flew to his feet and Gemini felt his presence behind her. She turned as quickly as possible and pushed back from his grinning face. She was surprised to find herself out of his reach so quickly but she realized he hadn't been trying to capture her directly. Instead he reached his right arm out and snatched at Gwen's wrist.

"Gwen!" Ben cried, jumping to his feet.

Damion laughed as he pulled her closer and Gemini could see herself in that same position. He had pulled her close that way many times before and never had his intentions been anything but violent. She saw it happen in slow motion as she so often did. Gwen struggled her hardest and even kicked his side a few times. It didn't matter. To Damion those kicks were like a gentle breeze through his coat. He released her wrist long enough to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her all the way to his side.

"This is the youngest friend you've made yet, Gemini." he hissed at her, placing his free hand beneath Gwen's chin. "So small and...fragile."

Gwen cried in pain as he squeezed her face and shoved her head back. Gemini's well-trained eye could see that he stopped just short of breaking her neck. A small twitch of his powerful fingers could nearly behead the girl. She saw Ben move out of the corner of her eye and gasped. Gemini turned and lunged just in time to catch him. Ben was surprised that she could tackle his most powerful alien and actually take him down. He pushed her off easily however.

"I have to save my cousin!"

"He'll kill her!" she retorted, grabbing one of his arms. "If you don't stay where you are he'll snap her neck in half! Do you want to watch her die?!"

Ben glared at her and jerked his arm away as he returned his eyes to Gwen's shaking body. He and Gemini stared Damion down as he grinned at Gwen's fear. He stroked her cheek with a pointed finger and laughed. He was quite obviously enjoying the look of utter terror in her eyes. Max joined them and Damion looked up at his movement. Gemini saw the twitch in his fingers but he didn't kill the girl. He frowned at them and pulled her closer though.

"She's rather precious to you, isn't she?" he asked, suddenly very serious. "It seems I have chosen the perfect leverage. Even Gemini cares for this filthy child."

"Like hell I do!" Gemini retorted. "Snap her neck! See if I care!"

"You're kidding me!" Ben cried in outrage.

"Of course she is, child." Damion replied. "She sees quite a lot in you both. You are very special humans."

Gemini glanced away from his face and stared at a rock on the ground. She knew she had given herself away when she'd stopped Ben from attacking but she hadn't thought Damion would resort to taking a hostage. He knew she'd let others die for her in the past but obviously he could sense her reluctance to allow these children to do the same. She clenched a fist around her tjuringa and sighed.

"Let her go, Damion." she whispered, stepping forward. "I'll come back to you."

Damion laughed loudly and released Gwen's chin. She winced as she lowered her head and Ben sighed in relief despite himself. He watched as Gemini approached the demon that still held his cousin's life in his hands. He didn't know it but this would be the first time she'd agreed to go with him willingly. And she knew this was why Damion laughed. He didn't understand human emotion and the fact that she would give her own freedom in exchange for someone else's probably amused him. Mere hours ago the same thing would have at the very least confounded her. Damion waited until Gemini was within reach to let Gwen go. The minute his arm left her waist she scrambled away. Damion's cold fingers latched onto Gemini's wrist with a burning sting. It was a foreshadowing of the pain that she would endure as punishment later that night. Ben waited until Gwen had reached Grandpa and then attacked. Just as Damion had Gemini in his iron grasp Ben lowered his torso. He charged and slammed into Damion shoulder first. Damion stumbled backwards but he didn't fall. And he still held tight to Gemini's wrist.

The fact that Ben had attacked even though Gemini had agreed to trade herself for his cousin seemed to anger Damion. His eye glowed red this time and he turned his face towards Ben with a look of utter rage. Gemini was screaming something at him but suddenly he couldn't make it out. She was pulling at her captive's arm and screaming something. It seemed important but he couldn't hear her. His vision was even beginning to fade and soon all he could see was that eye. He could feel himself growing heavy and tired. A voice in the back of his mind told him to sleep. Sleep forever. He was beginning to drift off and his body was slowly leaning as though he would collapse at any moment. Then a sudden, strange sound pierced the darkness. The sound of his Omnitrix timing out rang through the darkness and as he returned to his human form he was released from the spell. It didn't matter though. As a human he had no chance against Damion.

"Forget about it Ben!" Gemini shouted at him. "Run while you can! Forget you ever met me!"

"You would be wise to consider such advice." Damion added. "I will spare you if you do so. After all Gemini has never relinquished herself to me freely. Honor her sacrifice by living."

"No!" he shouted, fiddling with his watch. "I'll save you! I can save you! I can save you!"

The Omnitrix was still red and there was no telling how long it would take before it would recharge. He grew frustrated with his limitations and began to pound at the precious instrument with his fist. Gemini shook her head softly as Damion laughed again. The poor child was trying so hard to save her and she had never done a single thing for anyone in her life. She had only ever cared about herself. She felt sympathy for another person for the first time in a very long time. How could she live this way? Always running. Always putting other people at risk to save herself. She didn't want to live that way anymore. The tjurunga around her neck began to glow a very light green. It rose from her neck and Damion's laughter ceased abruptly.

"No..." he whispered. "That's not possible."

Gemini looked up and Ben gasped as he saw tears trickle down her right cheek slowly. The tjurunga's green energy seemed to be the same that circulated throughout the Omnitrix. It shot from her charm in a wavering beam and hit the watch. Ben could feel the skin under and around the alien technology burn and the pain was so intense that he dropped to his knees. As the light faded away it was accompanied by the sound the Omnitrix usually made when it was fully charged. Looking down he found this to be true and he grinned as he selected his next alien. In his excitement he didn't notice the blinking red circle in the center.

"Nooo!" Damion shouted, pushing Gemini away as Ben slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix.

"Let's see who's got the fastest feet now." Ben smirked as the shield slid over his face.

XLR8 certainly stood a lot more of a chance against someone as fast as Damion but Ben was worried that he wouldn't be able to take another punch in this form. This demon had broken Four Arms' jaw and that had never happened to him. In fact he didn't think he'd ever broken anything on any of his aliens before. This guy was probably stronger than Vilgax and he was definitely faster. There was no doubt about that.

Damion zipped in front of him but Ben was faster. He shot around the blur that Damion had become and showered him with a barrage of speedy kicks to the head. Damion grabbed his leg and threw him to the side but he had definitely felt pain. He bared his fangs at Ben as he shot to his feet but Ben wasn't there for long. He disappeared suddenly and Damion gasped. He had just disappeared. That wasn't even possible for a full grown XLR8. How could this child manage such a feat? It didn't take long for him to realize the truth. Ben hadn't disappeared. A slight breeze blew his coat around his knees as he glanced around himself in a wary stance. He was circling him faster than even his superior eye could follow. But not faster than Gemini's.

"To think I would be deceived by such an ill constructed trick." he smirked, closing his eye.

With his eye closed the world around him looked far different. He tapped into the power of Gemini's eye to make the picture around him clearer. There was the boy, moving in slow motion. The ground around him shifted and waved as though it were made of liquid. The air around him was stale and odorless. There was no real light. He raised a hand so swiftly it appeared as nothing more than a white blur to those in the real world. The ground beneath Ben's feet shifted and he suddenly found himself sinking.

"Ben!" Gemini cried in shock. "He's using my eye! He controls everything now!"

"Your eye controls the world?!" he shouted back, attempting to pull himself free.

"No. Not this world." she whispered, placing a hand to her scar.

Ben attempted to free himself from his earthy prison by accelerating in place. This turned out to be a bad idea because instead of making the hole bigger - and in effect easier to exit - he only managed to turn his prison to glass. He let his shield fall over his face as he prepared to bust through however an unarmored area of his body suddenly seared with pain. A thick spear of glass had shot out of the side of the hole and pierced his thigh. The shield flew up as he cried out in misery and he found Damion looming over him. His eye remained closed but Ben had the feeling he could still see him.

"I wouldn't try that, child." he laughed. "Now, I'll be taking that Omnitrix if you please."

"You know what the Omnitrix is?!" Ben shouted in outrage.

"Of course I do." Damion replied with a chuckle. "Didn't I tell you I knew everything? I've no real interest in something that will only make me weaker but it could prove useful in keeping my precious Gemini close during the day. "

"Precious?" Ben sneered. "You got a strange way of showing someone they're precious. Besides, it has a limit."

"For you perhaps. But what Gemini charged this scientific marvel with was not the normal energy it uses to execute your transformations. It was something of a hybrid actually. The Omnitrix's usual energy source combined with her unimaginable spiritual power. It will never time out now."

"Then how do you think you're gonna get it from me?"

"Oh, I do apologize." Damion hissed as he crouched in front of him. "I should have said, it will not time out until you die."

The grin that spread across his face seemed never-ending to Ben. It spread from ear to ear and both of his eyes opened at last. They were filled with darkness and at the same time they held the entire world in their endless void. He could have just cast a silent spell on Ben to cause instant death but now he was a little playful. If he ran out of time he would use that as a last resort but for now he wanted to have a little fun with this child who thought himself a hero.

Ben screamed in agony as glass spikes shot out of his encasement and pierced his sides. If only he could still change at will. A smaller alien would be so helpful right now. Someone like Greymatter. Ben gasped as a sudden light filled the tunnel of spikes. He had transformed with a mere thought. Greymatter's smaller body fell through the spikes like a forest of glass. He latched onto the first he could get his arms around but in his shock it was all he could do for the moment. He could hear Damion's voice echo down at him.

"Figured it out, have you?" he shouted in rage. "Never the less, I will have that Omnitrix!"

Ben hopped into a darker corner as he thought of what to do. It was obvious that Gemini had somehow unlocked the secrets of the Omnitrix for him. He wondered if he could turn into other aliens just by thinking of them. He crawled towards the top slowly as he tried to think of the biggest, strongest alien he could. The Way Big alien! He would definitely need to get out of the hole before turning into that one. Just as he was approaching the brim of the hole however, a large hand reached down into the darkness. He could feel Damion's fingers wrap around him and squeeze as he was jerked into the air. It was now or never.

The green light exploded from Damion's fingers as Ben transformed but Damion was quick to get out of the way. He had no idea what Ben was turning into so he wouldn't risk trying to subdue him before his transformation was complete. When he grew to the alien's full height Damion stumbled backwards and stared up at him in awe. He had never actually seen anything so huge in all his existence. Ben turned to face him slowly and his enormous foot swung over everyone. It came crashing down to the ground like an earthquake and everyone but Damion was knocked off their feet. Damion stood tall and stared straight up into the large alien's face.

"So be it." he whispered.

Ben began to bring his hand down on Damion but before his extremely huge digits could reach the ground Damion had moved. He felt a sharp pain in his foot and almost fell to the ground which could have been disastrous for any nearby towns. He stumbled back to find a spike of earth had risen beneath his foot and blood was trailing from the spike to his current position. To him it looked like mere drops but below it could be considered pools. He hadn't even the slightest chance at retaliation when he suddenly found he couldn't breath. Damion had thrown both arms out and brought them back to his chest while he wasn't looking. The oxygen around him was disappearing. There was no other choice but to change into something smaller. He wouldn't risk killing Gemini by removing the oxygen from their level.

With a little reluctance Ben thought of another alien that might come in handy and changed with a flash of light. He had a feeling he'd be changing all night. If he could just keep himself alive until the sun came up he would be satisfied. He didn't bother landing in front of Damion and risk getting hit so he chose Stinkfly. He flew down towards the ground and as he flew over Damion he began to spit gunk at him. Damion dodged each glob easily and reached into the air as he flew directly over him.

Ben was surprised at his swiftness - even knowing how fast he was to begin with - and gasped as he was jerked out of the sky. He hit the ground hard and groaned as he changed again. XLR8 zipped from the Omnitrix's green light before it could even fade away completely. He would have to try to keep his distance as long as possible. There was no way he would survive a direct attack for hours. He still had a whole night ahead of him. Maybe a game of high speed tag would tire him out. Damion pursued him and the chase was faster than Gwen or Max could keep up with though Gemini didn't seem to be having a problem. She watched as they exchanged blows a few times but Ben had Damion going in circles, grabbing at his tail in desperation. Were the situation not so serious she might have laughed at such a sight.

Unfortunately Ben's plan had back-fired on him. Damion was growing tired, true. However, Ben was growing exhausted. He was forced to move in short bursts of speed as the battle continued. Gemini wanted desperately to help but her tjurunga wouldn't respond to any of her attempts. The energy she had given to Ben must have taken a lot out of it. Ben stopped to catch his breath and the shield slid back from his face as he glanced behind him. Damion wasn't moving either but he wasn't resting. He rose his arms and aimed his fingers at Ben's unshielded face. Ben gasped as he felt himself being pulled forward by his face. Obviously the game of tag was no longer amusing Damion. Gemini took a few steps towards them, gripping her tjurunga tightly as though she could squeeze some form of energy from it's wooden surface.

At the sight of her movement Damion threw one hand out at her and she felt herself being drawn in as well. She gasped and put her free hand out in front of her. She closed her eyes as she was jerked towards him slowly and only opened them when her hand touched his chest. Ben was being held up by his neck in the strong grip of his other hand but he couldn't reach her throat yet. She felt her hand lower against her will and she jerked into his opened palm at last. He pushed her over to Ben's side and glared angrily at the both of them.

"I have had enough." the demon hissed. "This ends NOW!"

A light exploded from Damion's hand and Ben flew from his grip. Gwen and Gemini screamed in horror while Max stared in silent shock. Ben's body began to change as he flew through the air until he was merely a ten year old boy once more. He hit the ground hard and bounced twice before sliding to a stop. Dust swirled around his body as he laid still, his chest unmoving. Damion turned Gemni around and thrust her forward so that she could see his limp body. He wasn't breathing anymore and his open eyes were hollow. Tears welled up in her remaining eye but more noticeably they began to spill from under her scar. She shook her head as the Omnitrix snapped open and fell from the boy's wrist.


	5. Epiphany

Gemini stared in shock as Gwen tried to run to Ben's side. Max grabbed her shoulder before she could take more than a few steps. He was watching Damion intently so Gwen followed his gaze. Damion was squeezing Gemini's neck tightly as he eyed Ben's unmoving body. Perhaps he was making sure he was truly dead before he attempted to take the Omnitrix for himself. After a moment or two he had made up his mind. He pulled Gemini close then pushed her away suddenly. He had knocked her completely off her feet and when she landed she hit the broken RV with a loud crash.

Damion approached Ben's corpse with steady, confident strides. Gemini climbed to her feet slowly, as though it required every ounce of energy left in her body. She rose her head to watch him and as the hair fell away from her eyes she brought her hands up to her face abruptly. She let loose a scream that made Damion snap around to face her. Gwen jerked back at the sound but nothing was more horrifying than what she was doing to cause it. As they all watched in shock she began to claw at her face. Her right hand dug ditches in her cheek but the left raked across her scarred eye. Gwen could feel bile rising in her stomach as blood dripped from the ripped flesh. Pieces began to fall away, one by one. They hit the ground with a sickening sound.

Gemini removed her hands from her face and Damion's serious frown grew angry. His right eye was glowing red as was Gemini's left eye. Under all the ripped flesh Gwen could make out an eye just like Damion's. Gemini smirked evilly at the demon who had stolen her eye as she calmly ripped the remaining flesh from her face. He glared back as the wind began to blow. His bangs fluttered around his left eye and Gwen could see that it was a dark brown human eye just like Gemini's. Then it hit her. Damion hadn't taken Gemini's eye! He had traded it for his own!

"It took you this long..." Damion whispered, stepping forward - further from the Omnitrix.

"At the end of this night you will not know the meaning of mercy." she replied, raising her left hand.

Her arm grew slightly longer and the black nails that shot from her fingertips looked like they could cut through steel. Her skin seemed to fade before Gwen's eyes until she was as pale as Damion The ends of her hair bunched together until she seemed to have tentacles growing from her head. These tentacles turned red towards the end and began to squirm around her side restlessly. Fangs that appeared far more lethal than Damion's grew in her mouth until she had a frown full of razor sharp teeth. If she had gained these physical attributes from possessing Damion's eye Gwen wondered if she had gained his abilities as well. This question didn't take long to be answered. Neither seemed to worry about exchanging verbal blows. Gemini and Damion pushed off from the ground at the same time but they only got a few feet away from their original positions when they suddenly disappeared.

"Where'd they go?" Gwen gasped, looking around warily.

"They're moving too fast to be seen." Max answered quietly, taking a few steps forward.

He was still staring at the hollow shell Ben had left behind and Gwen's eyes filled with tears as she ran ahead of him. She stopped at Ben's side and fell to her knees, placing a hand on his stomach. She lowered her head and pressed her ear against his chest. She prayed harder than she had ever prayed in her life to hear a heartbeat. Her fingers gripped his shirt and she squeezed her eyes shut but nothing came. The only thing she could hear was the shuffling of Max's feet as he joined her. He sighed shakily as he placed a hand on Gwen's back to comfort her, tears filling his eyes.

Meanwhile the battle between Gemini and Damion was still raging behind them. Gemini raised her left arm to block a powerful kick from Damion. He stumbled back as she knocked his foot aside just barely avoiding the loss of balance that would have given her the opportunity to gain the upper hand immediately. For Damion was still tired from his fight with Ben and he had little physical strength to speak of now. This did not bode well for him considering Gemini now had access to half of his full powers and she was nowhere near tiring out. Fueled by her rage she could go on this way for days. Of all the possible scenarios with which he had beguiled himself over the years he never would have guessed that this was the way she would discover the truth about their eyes.

He pushed back from her and nearly flew across the ground as he tried to keep his distance. She was quicker than he had thought she could be and before he knew it she had shot forward, grabbing hold of his neck in a vice-like grip. The momentum caused them to slide across the ground all the faster and she slammed him against a boulder. Pieces of rubble rained from around him and he cried out in pain. She let him slump against her shoulder then stepped back, grinning at him viciously. She pulled him from the boulder and slammed him back into it again. It cracked in half and pieces exploded from the back. She turned and slammed him into the ground instead. He cried out once again but didn't seem to have the energy to fight back. She continued to ram him into the ground with all her strength.

"Die! Die! Die!" she screamed, the smile fading from her lips. "Suffer and DIE!"

Damion laughed and blood spurted from his mouth causing Gemini to stop in shock. She stared down into his pain filled expression but he was smiling despite this. She didn't understand. She was slaughtering him. There was no possible way he could win. Why was he laughing? What could he possibly know that she didn't? Was there a weakness his eye caused her that she didn't know about? She pondered as she frowned at him but it suddenly became quite apparent. A wind picked up and blew his bangs away from her eye. She could see - no! - she could feel it focusing. Her face contorted in rage as she tried to retaliate. Her own eye began to focus as well. Together they left reality behind and entered the Dreamtime.

The air around them became stale and the world seemed to lose all color, fading into an aged, yellow. Damion retaliated immediately and Gemini went flying across the ground, landing no more than inches away from Gwen and Max. As she hit the ground, invisible to the two humans, the earth exploded around her. Gwen and Max stumbled back in surprise. They watched as the Omnitrix went flying through the air and suddenly heard a strange voice. It was strained and sounded like it was coming from miles away but the malicious tone was apparent.

"The Omnitrix!"

Gemini gasped as Damion ran after the falling Omnitrix. It was descending much slower in the Dreamtime than it appeared to be in the real world. She shot up from the ground and grabbed his leg as he jumped for it. He cried out in surprise as she jerked him down and slammed him into the ground, sending another explosion of dirt into the mortal realm. She clambered on top of him and wrapped her long fingers around his neck, squeezing with all her might. Damion tried to push it away but she wouldn't release him. He laughed again though it sounded choked. In the Dreamtime there was no air anyways. She may have been able to make his mind think he was in pain but she couldn't kill him that way here.

He gathered all the strength he could muster and rammed a fist into the stomach of the girl who'd been his slave for the past two centuries. Thinking of all the time he'd lost and all the bother she had put him through gave his blow an extra force that sent her flying into the air. She turned in the air and - as though it were solid - pushed off the sky with her feet. She flew for Damion as he approached the Omnitrix again and landed on his back. They tumbled away in a pile of squirming limbs that left a trail of dust in the real world. When they had come to a top at last Damion was sitting on Gemini's stomach, pinning her arms to her side with his legs. He grinned at her as she struggled and raised a fist.

Gwen and Max stared as the dust settled around the Omnitrix. They looked at one another then back at the alien device. They knew one of them would have to take it before Damion could get to it but there was a similar feeling circulating between them. Neither wanted to take it because if they did then they would be accepting the fact that Ben was dead and nothing they could do would ever bring him back. Gwen shook her head as tears spilled over her cheeks again. Max looked grim as he sighed and patted her shoulder softly. He knew it would be up to him. Gwen might regret not acting later but right now someone had to keep it from Damion. If she couldn't do that through her grief he would have to be the one.

He stepped forward slowly with a small glance back at Gwen. Ben laid behind her motionless as she lowered her eyes and he had to look away. He began to reach for the Omnitrix when suddenly a hand shot out of the ground and grabbed his arm. Gwen gasped as he was jerked down to the ground and another hand made of earth wrapped around his other wrist. Two more wrapped around his ankles as he tried to kick the Omnitrix out of the way. Another hand reached out to catch it but Gwen tackled it just before it's fingers could close around the device. It flew through the air once again but she couldn't see where it had landed. Arms were wrapping around her, pulling her face-down into the ground.

Damion stepped out of the Dreamtime, laughing as he drug Gemini behind him by her tentacle-like hair. He deposited her beside the two of them and she groaned in pain, curling into herself. Her skin was growing dark again and her hair began to return to normal. Her arm had already become human before she had left the Dreamtime. Gwen closed her eyes and tried to fight back tears as she realized it was all over. However, when she opened her eyes again Gemini was rising to her feet, a hand to the eye that was once again covered by a mound of flesh. She zipped out of view and she could hear Damion's screams of rage and shock.

Gemini reached him just before he could take the Omnitrix from Ben's side where it had landed - as though it were drawn to it's true owner. She grabbed Damion's face and slammed him into the ground once more. She took one long fingernail and sliced his shirt opened, drawing a line of blood down his chest. He struggled against her and though it seemed to take all her strength she held him in place as she continued on to his stomach. Blood seeped out of the deep cut and spilled over his side slowly. Damion didn't know if she was trying to make him bleed to death but he doubted this would do the job. Even with the human blood he was forced to live with while possessing her eye he couldn't bleed to death that easily. He laughed as it pooled around him but Gemini only smirked as he sat up, smacking her hand away. He raised a fist to attack but stopped suddenly as all the hairs on his body stood on end all at once.

"The sun." he whispered, fear dripping from the words.

The earthen arms disappeared from around Gwen and Max suddenly and they sat up to watch Damion change. He took on the form of a scorpion once again and scurried into a hole in the distance. They ran to Gemini's side as the sun began to rise and Gwen kneeled next to her inquiring of her health. Gemini waved the question away though she held her stomach with one arm and bent over it for a moment. Once she had sat up again she wasted no time. She turned and grabbed Ben's foot, jerking him to her side roughly. Gwen made a sound of utter horror and disgust at such a mistreatment of her cousin's corpse but Max shook his head when she made to speak her mind. Gemini ripped Ben's shirt open and slammed her hand into the blood Damion had spilled onto the ground. She attempted to draw a strange symbol on his chest but ran out of blood.

"Not enough!" she cursed.

Gwen abruptly took hold of Gemini's hand and she stared in shock as she used her nail to cut herself from her wrist to her upper arm. She stood over the puddle of Damion's blood and let her own drip into it with a grimace. Gemini smiled softly - her teeth still somewhat pointed - and tears almost spilled from her eyes. This act of love would increase the possibility for recovery by more than seventy-percent. She hadn't thought she would be able to make it work but she had forgotten to factor in that ever important feeling she had for so long forsaken.

"Bring him back." Gwen pleaded, desperation shining in her eyes.

"I'll try."

Gemini put her hand back into the fresh puddle of blood and stirred it up a little. She began to draw on his chest with symbols that Gwen had never seen before and then she made a cut on his forehead, dotting it with blood that came from an isolated patch of Damion's alone. She drew a line on each side with only Gwen's and bent over him. She placed a hand on the symbols which seemed to have dried quickly for they didn't smear as she slid her hand down to his stomach. Gemini placed her mouth over Ben's and began to breath into him. Her tjurunga - as well as the hand print she'd made over his belly button - began to glow as she pulled away and Ben coughed. Gwen's face lit up in happiness and she hurried to embrace him but Gemini put a hand up to stop her. She stood and took a few steps back herself.

Ben sat up slowly and blinked. He looked to his right to see those he loved staring at him. He blinked again and slowly turned his head to the left. The others watched as he leaned over and reached for the Omnitrix. It latched onto his wrist as soon as he got near it and he flexed his fingers as he stared down at it dumbly. Gwen was suddenly concerned. He was moving so slowly. His eyes didn't even seem to be focusing completely on the Omnitrix. Finally he opened his mouth and spoke. Gwen's stomach sank at the strange, child-like sound.

"Hero?" he asked, looking straight up into her eyes.

"What did you do to him?!" she shouted, turning on Gemini.

"I reanimated his body." Gemini replied simply. "His brain is functioning so he has rudimentary skills in the ways of coherent thought and speech. His motor skills will be far better if he needs to defend himself. He'll react by instinct as he did by taking the Omnitrix again. His soul however is not...here."

They watched as Ben stood slowly and stared at the desert around him. He turned his eyes to Gemini as she spoke and smirked, holding up his wrist to show the Omnitrix to her as he had done the day before. When she didn't respond to him he frowned and dropped his arm, looking to Gwen instead. His eyes were empty and void of life so she looked away with tears in her own. He ran over to Max - his motor skills indeed speeding up to normal - and smiled up at him. He put a hand on his head softly which seemed to make the empty shell that was Ben happy.

"Where is it?" Max asked calmly. "How do we get it back?"

"Damion." she answered. "You may not have seen it from where you stood but the energy from that attack didn't only come from Damion. It also returned to him and it probably contained Ben's soul when it did."

"Probably?" Gwen demanded. "You don't even know if we can get it back or not?!"

"I'm doing my best." Gemini replied, sadly. "I'm surprised I was able to reanimate his body. I've never been able to do so before and trust me I've tried."

Gwen looked away in slight shame but her eyes were still filled with anger. Gemini didn't blame her for being confused and upset over something like this. It could be a very shocking thing to see, especially if there was a possibility that there was no bringing the soul back. To have a relative or loved one walk around as an empty shell was worse than them being dead in many ways. She didn't even know if killing Damion would return the soul to the body or just move it along to the afterlife. She sighed and put a hand to her face as it returned to normal.

"Ben." she snapped, lowering her hand.

He turned to face her immediately and frowned, eyes growing slightly more focused. She knew he would obey her even if she told him to kill his cousin and grandfather. She put a hand on his head as well but it didn't make him smile. This boy's mind was still young so there wasn't as much separation of the feelings in his soul and those that his brain produced. He would still die to protect those he loved and he would still resent authority. And right now she was the biggest authority he could ever possibly know.

"Listen to me well." Gemini continued. "We must defeat Damion. Is this understood?"

"Yes."

"Your life depends on it. If you fail you will be under my control forever. Is this understood?"

"Yes." he growled.

"Then we will fight him together tonight. For now, repair the RV."

Gwen and Max watched in shock as Ben instantly transformed into Upgrade. He enveloped the RV and obeyed her commands. As he did so Max tended to Gwen's arm. The cut she had made was deep enough that she would need stitches. Max was luckily prepared for such a thing and took the required equipment from his first aid box. This included a pain-killer that was injected into Gwen's arm beforehand. She could barely feel the needle entering her skin but even so the experience was one she hoped she wouldn't have to go through again. It only took Ben half as long to fix the RV as it did for Max to fix Gwen's arm so he was standing by her watching when Max did finish.

"Don't stare, Ben." Gemini muttered absently as she turned from them.

"So, is Ben your slave now?" Gwen asked, resentfully as Ben obeyed her again.

Gemini stopped in her tracks and clenched a fist.

"Of course not. Why would I make anyone suffer what I myself have been through?"

"Then why are you ordering him around?!" Gwen demanded.

"I'm not!" Gemini shouted, turning and punching the newly repaired RV. "He does what I say because that's the nature of the spell. I can't change that! Would you rather watch him stare into space?"

"Yes! As a matter of fact I would!"

"Gwen." Grandpa whispered, placing a hand on Gwen's shoulder. "I don't like this anymore than you do but it's the only way we'll save Ben."

Gwen made her anger known by refusing to speak to Gemini the rest of the day and she made her disappointment known by refusing to look at Ben no matter how hard he tried to get her attention. Despite Gemini's comment Ben did much more than stare into space as the day passed. He tried to get Gwen's attention by smiling at her for a whole hour until Grandpa distracted him with food that he ate a lot more willingly without his soul. Then when they all went to sleep Ben tried to climb into bed beside her. She was so surprised that she'd almost forgotten about his condition and kicked him off. This actually caused him to cry and she felt too guilty to sleep for some time. She stared at Ben as he slept beside Grandpa, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.

"I'm going to try my hardest." a voice whispered from above her.

"Gemini...?"

"I don't want him to be that way forever. He's a good boy. I've been responsible for the deaths of too many good people."

"You didn't kill them." Gwen replied, her anger relenting at last. "Damion did."

"No. It was my fault they died. It's my fault Ben is a soulless vessel."

Gwen turned over on her back and stared at the bottom of the top bunk with a look of regret in her eyes. She had been so angry at Ben's behavior that she had not been able to feel the relief and gratitude that had been writhing beneath the surface of her disappointment. Ben was alive because of the woman laying above her and she had not thanked her. She looked away and sighed.

"If it weren't for you he wouldn't be alive at all. I'm glad you did that spell."

"I'm glad you helped." Gemini replied. "If you hadn't I wouldn't have been able to make it work."

Gwen smiled lightly and bide Gemini goodnight. She was able to sleep at last but Gemini couldn't. She sat awake with a hand over the scar that concealed Damion's eye. All this time she had it and she hadn't known. She knew now that this was why she could see where he was if she closed her own eye. This was also most likely the way he found her when she ran from him. She had ran from him for so many years when she could have fought him. Why couldn't she have discovered his eye sooner? So many lives would have been saved. But she couldn't dwell on the past. She wouldn't let it happen again. Not now that she had the means to protect those who tried to protect her. Now Damion would pay for all he had done.


	6. Defeat

Gemini sat at the Tennyson's table with her head in her hands. She stared down at her cup of water with a look of sadness as she listened to the sounds of Max cooking. She gripped her skull tightly as though she wanted to crush it and the water began to boil. She had thought many times of ending it all but something left her clinging to life desperately. She didn't know why she had lived on in her situation. She didn't know why she had hoped that one day she would be free. At the time she hadn't even had the hope that Damion's eye now gave her. She lifted her head and lowered her hands slowly. She gripped her tjurunga in one as she looked over at the Tennysons' sleeping forms. She supposed she had wanted something like this. She had endured all that torture and pain because she had wanted someone to love her like these humans loved one another. Even if that person was Damion. Even if that love was untrue.

Gwen stirred and Gemini turned her eyes back to the cup of water as the girl rose from her bed. The water settled as she released her tjurunga. Gwen bide her a good morning before entering the cramped bathroom to get dressed. She sighed as she placed her forehead against the table. She didn't want to let them down. Gwen joined her at the table and they sat in silence for a few moments. Gemini lifted her head to look at Gwen. She had her eyes on Ben. She looked over to the boy as well. She would get his soul back or die trying. Gwen turned her eyes on Gemini suddenly and Gemini looked away afraid that her previous thoughts would be showing on her face. She sighed slightly and looked hesitant as the water in her coffee cup rippled.

"Ben." she whispered. "Awaken."

She hoped Gwen wouldn't be angry at her but she had no idea how long Ben would sleep on his own before awakening. He shot out of bed immediately and she was glad he hadn't slept on the bottom bunk. He slid out of bed and walked over to them, standing beside the table stiffly. Gemini looked up to Gwen's face to see if she was angry. Her eyes were aflame with resentment once again but she was tight-lipped. Gwen probably didn't think it was necessary but she didn't think Gwen would be saying much until Ben's soul was returned. She moved her eyes to Ben's face and felt a pang of guilt shoot through her heart. His eyes were worse now than they had been yesterday. Not only were they empty but they were beginning to turn red. There was a tinge of crimson around his pupil that she knew would spread to the rest of his iris in time. She hoped it didn't get the chance. Ben sat beside Gwen as Grandpa made his entrance with breakfast but once again Gemini declined.

"Gemini, you haven't eaten in days." Max replied, pushing a plate at her. "You need your strength."

"I don't eat." Gemini whispered, pushing it back. "Due to Damion I have very few bodily functions. It must have something to do with why I don't age."

Grandpa decided not to delve any deeper into the subject and passed the plate on to Ben. Ben ate eagerly as Gwen sat beside him with a look of disgust. She wished she had the option of not eating while she was with Grandpa but she had to eat something. She watched Gemini as she did so and noticed that she was staring intently into the water. She wondered why she sat with a cup of water every morning but was worried it might be inappropriate in some way to ask. She was nearly shocked to hear her speak of her own will.

"He's not really a demon." Gemini stated, causing everyone to look up at her. "That's simply what I call him."

"Is he an alien?" Gwen asked.

"Perhaps. I don't know what he is but he needs my eye to get home. He needs the Dreamtime to get home." she whispered, looking up. "Maybe he's from another realm."

"Like a different dimension?" Gwen suggested.

Gemini shrugged her shoulders and looked back down to her water. This was obviously all she had felt necessary to divulge to the Tennysons. Gwen asked a few more questions but Gemini only shrugged her shoulders or nodded her head. Once Grandpa had taken the dishes away she stood and left the RV. Gwen made to go after her but Grandpa grabbed her shoulder. Gwen sighed as she looked back at Ben. He was standing as well and she noticed the red around his pupil as it spread slightly. The pupil widened and turned into a slit before Ben shot for the door. When Grandpa tried to grab his shoulder he pushed his hand away. Gwen watched in shock as he pushed them aside and ran after Gemini. She wondered if this was due to the spell or if Ben really wanted to make sure Gemini was okay. He slammed the door behind him and ran around to the back. Gemini was sitting with her legs pulled up to her chest and her head buried in her arms. She looked up when Ben approached her.

"What?"

"Gemini." Ben whispered. "You are sad. I can help."

"No. I'll help you Ben." she replied, looking away from his ever-reddening eyes. "I promise."

"I can help." he repeated firmly.

Gemini looked shocked as he dropped to his knees beside her. Ben wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her head close to his chest. She felt tears well up in her eye as he did so. She couldn't remember the last time she had been hugged. Had she ever experienced this form of affection without being struck afterwards? Surely before Damion someone must have loved her. She wasn't quite sure how to react to the situation. She felt a warmth growing in the pit of her stomach and her arms rose up to embrace him in return. It must have been out of instinct because she was still too shocked to understand what was happening. Even though she was baffled by the comforting gesture she was grateful for it. She smiled but the expression left her face quickly. Gwen and Max had appeared from around the corner. Gemini pushed Ben away and stood.

"Even without a soul he's obnoxious." she scoffed, turning her back to them.

Max and Gwen laughed when Ben latched onto her from behind and grinned. She sighed heavily and turned to pat him on the head. She had seen this spell worked by Damion numerous times and though dumb his enslaved humans had never acted so childishly. She was sure this was due to the fact that he'd never enslaved a child before or perhaps it was because of the blood Gwen had sacrificed for him. Perhaps it was the love that kept him so compassionate and carefree. She pushed him away again and this time he ran to hug Gwen. Gemini laughed this time and she wondered if he would be like this all day. She just hoped he would sober up when Damion appeared again.

As the day went on Ben's eyes continued to grow crimson and soon his entire iris had turned red. Gwen was worried at first but Gemini assured her that it was only a side effect. As sunset approached Gemini suggested that they build a fire so that Gwen and Max would have some sort of light to see by later. They had a hard time finding something to burn but once the fire began to rise they all had a seat around it to wait. She didn't think it would be too long before the sun set and Damion certainly wouldn't take long to get there considering he was in a hole somewhere close by. Gemini poked at the fire absentmindedly and Gwen finally noticed that her thumbnail was missing.

"Gemini!" she exclaimed. "Your finger."

"Hm?" Gemini mumbled, looking down. "Oh. That's old. It happened before Damion."

"How?"

"I don't...really remember much from before Damion. I was...wandering around in the desert when he found me." Gemini began, grabbing at her head. "Running from someone. Maybe the person who did this. Why did they...? Old men. They were elders of my...my tjurunga..."

Gwen looked worried as Gemini bent over the fire. Her face was too close to the flames and if her hair fell over her shoulder it would catch fire. Her eye was wide and completely dilated. The flames were reflected in her pupil and the fangs that had remained in her mouth where bared. Her eye was shooting from left to right as though she didn't know were she was. Grandpa leaned forward as she groaned and her teeth were making a grinding noise as she did so. She began to tilt forward and they both cried out in surprise but there was no way they would reach her before she hit the fire. Ben snatched at her hair as she fell and she stopped just before the flames could touch her face. Ben's expression was grim as he pulled her back and his eyes were dilated as well. He dropped her once she was safe and she fell to the ground limply. Ben stepped back as he looked around nervously. The markings Gemini had made began to glow and Gwen could see the hand print shining brightest beneath his shirt. She looked up to his face to find that he was gripping his head, eyes almost seeming to vibrate in his skull. He fell to his knees before collapsing entirely beside Gemini.

--------------------------------

Ben was in darkness for a while but then there was a fire approaching. A strong hand gripped his arm and another laid gently on his shoulder as he was lead across the desert. There were old men sitting around it and his parents were escorting him to the bora. The bora. Why did he know that this was a ritual of manhood? Were these dark-skinned people really his parents? He looked around in confusion as he was deposited in front of the elders. Behind them he could see circles made of rock. The ritual should have been held there. He didn't know how he knew this but he did. He put his hands in his lap and when he looked down at them they were as dark as Gemini's. He saw black hair hanging over his shoulders as well and though he didn't understand the words the elder spoke he knew what he was saying.

"You do not belong here, child." the old man in front of him croaked. "However, you have been blessed. Your connection to the Dreamtime has not been severed."

"She still does not belong here." another man grunted.

"She is the living vessel of Altjira!" a third exclaimed. "She still lives partially in the Dreamtime. She needs a tjurunga to channel this gift."

"It is for men alone!" the second shouted. "No woman has the right-"

"This woman does! If Altjira wishes it." the third retorted.

"Enough! This was decided at the corrobee!" the first interrupted. "She will go through the bora and be given a tjurunga."

Ben watched as the men argued and felt a growing sense of fear in the back of his mind. He felt that he knew what was coming but couldn't quite imagine what it was. It was pain. He could feel the pain coming. He watched in shock as the second old man pulled a knife from behind his back. He grinned maliciously and Ben knew he was going to enjoy this part of the bora. He heard himself scream as his arm was grabbed in the old man's tight grip. He pulled with all his strength as he tried to escape what he knew was coming. His eyes swept over his parents' faces but he couldn't see them in the darkness. His eyes watered up at their betrayal and he turned them back to the old man. His knife was coming down on his finger and he gasped as it fell. He screamed bloody murder when it sliced into the base of his thumb. The old man pushed outward and as his nail began to push away from the skin everything went black.

When Ben awoke again he was lying in the sunlight atop a bed made of the earth. In the light he had a clearer vision of the village but he had a feeling it had not been this way last night. The earth had been disrupted as though by an earthquake. Spears of rock were jutting out of every building and there was no other person in sight. Ben rubbed his head as he sat up and a wooden charm fell from his chest. He reached down with his delicate, female fingers and picked it up gently. It glowed and he squinted as a light shone into his eyes. He felt that he couldn't remember who he was. He had no recollection of his age or his family. He vaguely recalled the darkened faces of his parents and tears fell from his face. He gripped the tjurunga in his dark fist as he bent over it, sobbing. He knew that he had lost something important but he could not remember what it was.

He laid upon the earthen bed for what seemed to be days before he ventured away from the broken village. He wandered out into the desert with no destination in mind. He just couldn't stay with the decaying bodies and broken structures any longer. He walked forward with a strange, surreal feeling as he stumbled along. He had no idea how long he walked this way but he knew he was dieing with each step. He didn't eat and he didn't sleep. Soon he would simply die. He knew it and yet he continued on as though he had no other choice. One day he finally tripped on a stone and fell to his knees. He felt them scrape across the sand and dropped to his hands, squeezing his eyes shut. He knew this was it. He knew that he was dieing at last. He fell to his side and curled his body around the tjurunga he clutched in his hands. He began to cry again and waited for death but death did not come. Instead night fell over him and a sinister voice spoke from within the darkness.

"Child, why do you cry?"

Ben could not answer. For a moment he could not even open his eyes to inspect this person. It took him a long time to uncurl and open his eyes. The man was white and he automatically didn't trust him. He didn't know why but his paleness made an alarm go off in his head. Hadn't he seen men like him before? Where? He shook his head at the image of a white man dragging a girl away from the crumbled buildings he'd left behind. He tried to push himself away from the stranger's towering form. What if this man wanted to do the same to him? He grabbed at his tjurunga as he pushed at the sand weakly. He didn't get anywhere. The strange man smiled and his grin was filled with fangs that glinted in the moonlight. He bent next to Ben and held a hand out slowly.

"I won't harm you, my girl. I'm here to help. What's your name?"

"Don't know." Ben coughed, voice soft and broken. "I don't remember."

"You don't? Well, I must call you something, mustn't I? Everything must have a name." the man said, looking thoughtful. "This is June. Perhaps I shall call you Gemini."

"Gemini?" Ben whispered, sitting up. "What is your name?"

"You may call me Damion. May I give you a hand now, love?"

Ben felt his face grow hot as he reached out for the stranger's hand. Damion pulled him to his feet and smiled again. He put a clawed hand to Ben's head and pushed the black hair from his blushing face softly. Damion closed his eyes and Ben felt his mind spin. He felt memories fading in and out of existence. One minute they were there and the next they were gone. His entire life was running through his mind. His parents, his village, his name. Gemini's name. He was Ben. Not Gemini. Ben. He felt something snap in his mind and his right eye burned terribly. He screamed out in horror as his body shook with the pain. Damion was taking his eye. Taking Gemini's eye. He was Gemini. No, he was Ben! Ben! Ben!

--------------------------------------------------

"BEN!" Gwen screamed, shaking his prone body. "Ben, wake up! Wake up!"

Ben shot straight up and Gwen gasped as she fell back. Ben's hands went to his face and his eyes swept the darkening world around him. He was confused for a moment. He had no idea who he was or where he was. His eyes landed on Gemini and his hands dropped to his side as she sat up. Their eyes met and Gwen thought she could see a line of energy shoot between them. Ben wouldn't look away but Gemini did. Her eye was tearing up and she wiped at it as she stood. Ben went to stand beside her and his arms went around one of hers. He put his head against her arm and Gwen looked surprised. It had to be the spell that made Ben act this way. He hadn't even really liked Gemini before so it had to be the spell. Gemini patted his head once again and sighed.

"He'll be here soon. That trip down memory lane was a bit of bad timing, Gwen."

"Sorry." Gwen muttered, looking offended. "All I did was ask a question."

"I know." Gemini sighed. "Sorry. Ben, let's talk strategy."

Ben looked up at her and nodded his head with a serious frown. Gwen grew less angry as she listened to Gemini's instructions for Ben. She told him not to risk his life to save her if the need arose. Instead she made sure his top priority was to protect Gwen and Max if they were attacked. Second to that was to assist her in fighting without risking his life. Gwen thought it was sweet of her to think of Ben first but she wasn't utilizing him correctly if she was only going to use him as back up though Gwen wasn't going to point this out. She might change her mind if she did and it was better that Ben stayed safe. After all, this was a fight to save him. To put him at risk would make the battle pointless. At least, to Gwen. Gemini would still have something to gain from Damion's death.

Gemini stood with Ben by her side as the sun continued to set in the distance. She knew the minute it disappeared behind the horizon completely Damion would show himself. She put a hand to her face in preparation and Gwen looked away. She clawed at the scar over her eye once again. Ben watched with unblinking, red eyes as she ripped at her own flesh. It fell away and she began to change. Her skin paled, her arm lengthened, her hair clumped together and her fingernails shot out like blades. Ben's eyes filled in with red as she finished her transformation and his face fell. The childish look left his eyes and a serious frown spread over his face. He stared into the distance and placed a hand over the Omnitrix. Gemini clutched her tjurunga in her mostly human hand.

"I will fight until death takes me." he and Gemini whispered at the same time.

Gwen was certain that Gemini's will was influencing Ben's behavior now. He was, after all, nothing more than an empty shell. He only appeared to be more because his brain was still working at a normal capacity. Without his soul, however, he was subject to the caster of the spell's will. When Gemini felt the need to be comforted Ben went to her and when she was in danger of falling into the fire he had saved her. All because it was what Gemini wanted him to do. Gwen wondered if Ben would remember these things when his soul was returned but she didn't have much time to contemplate the complexities of Gemini's spell and it's effects on Ben's mind. The world was finally sinking into complete darkness. It was only a matter of moments before Damion showed up.

They waited in tense silence for no more than a few minutes when there was a loud screech from behind. Damion shot out of the ground and Gwen screamed. She and Max scattered as Ben moved to protect them. Damion fell at Gemini and she raised a fist as he did so. She used her longer arm to knock his fist out of the way and slammed her own into his face. Her long fingernails cut her palm as she did so but she ignored the blood that seeped from between her fingers. Damion flew from the force of her punch and as he was sliding across the ground Ben slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix. It wasn't necessary to initiate the change but he did it out of instinct. The green light faded away and he stood as Four Arms once again. He ran after Damion and before the demon could come to a complete stop slammed two of his fists into his stomach. Damion grabbed a third arm as it went for his face and pushed. Ben fell away from him and he shot to his feet.

He didn't seem to be worried about Ben but instead kept his eyes on Gemini. He was fully rested and Ben was no real challenge to him now. However, with half his strength Gemini could destroy him. He had to find a way to subdue her without killing her. This would be a delicate operation indeed. He sped towards her and she approached slowly. Damion slid and attempted to knock her off her feet but Gemini sprang into the air and he gaped up at her. She landed on his face and he cried out in pain as he felt the ground break around his head. She stepped off and raised one foot over his face but before she could do anything Damion's fist caught hold of her ankle. He threw her in Ben's direction as he approached and she hit his chest. They fell to the ground and Damion stood. He grinned evilly and she felt her eye activating. She grimaced as she concentrated as well.

"You're not taking the easy way out this time!" Gemini shouted.

Damion gasped as he felt the eye he had stolen from the girl close. How had she regained control of it? He didn't even control his own eye that resided in her skull. There was no way Gemini's will was stronger than his own. He growled under his breath. He had no time to figure out how she had done it. Ben was changing again. He shot out of his green light in the form of XLR8 this time. He watched as he tried to circle him again. This time he simply reached a hand out and Ben felt himself pulled towards him. There was a brief look of panic in his eyes as he remembered his own death. Gemini shot forward and tackled him. Ben fell to his feet and changed back into himself as Gemini and Damion rolled across the ground. He swept the area for any sight of Gwen and Max. They were hiding behind the RV as they watched the fight.

Gemini pushed Damion off of her as they came to a stop and ran in Ben's direction. As she was passing his pupil seemed to tighten and flinch. He changed into WildVine just as Damion reached him. Damion gasped in surprise as Ben's vines wrapped around his ankles. He fell to the earth and hit the ground hard as more vines wrapped around him tightly. They were squeezing the breath from his lungs. He gasped for air as he struggled to sit up. He looked into Ben's eyes and Ben felt his vines being pushed outward. He struggled against Damion's control but the more he struggled the more pain he felt in his vines. They were beginning to rip in fact.

"Let go, Ben!" Gemini cried.

Ben obeyed her and Damion grinned. He turned to attack Gemini only to find that she was standing directly behind him now. She swung at him but he ducked and embedded his fist in her stomach. She bent over and grabbed at her abdomen as Damion stepped back. He still couldn't think of how he would subdue her without killing her. He watch as she straightened up and her tjurunga swung around her neck. He narrowed his eyes and smirked again. He would just have to make use of her most vulnerable weakness. He wouldn't reach for it just yet or she would know what he was after. Instead her turned his sights on Ben again. If she was trying to protect the child she wouldn't be thinking of her tjurunga.

"You've become quite the nuisence." Damion stated with a grin. "Die."

Ben felt himself rising from the ground and a tightening in his throat. His vines stretched away from his body and he groaned as they were pulled to their limit. He felt them rip again and Gemini gasped. She shot towards Damion but he smacked her aside easily. She hit the ground and tried to stop herself from sliding by clawing at the sand. She couldn't get a good hold on the shifting earth but finally stopped a few feet away. She was getting to her feet when she heard Gwen scream in horror. She looked up just in time to see one of Ben's vines severe. Ben screamed in agony as another began to rip in half. A look of horror passed over her face before she grew angry. She raised a hand and pointed it at Damion's head. He turned to face her with a surprised look on his face before Ben fell to the ground. Damion looked frantic as he began to rise from the ground slowly.

"You can't-"

"Yes." she whispered, closing her fingers into a fist. "I can."

Damion's screams echoed through the empty night and they made Gwen shiver. His insides felt as though they were twisting and contorting. The look on Gemini's face was that of pure rage as she tore at her capture's insides with her mind. Damion's screams ceased suddenly and he glared down at Gemini. Now she would know very little mercy. He would take her back half-dead if he had to but as long as her soul remained within her body he could make use of her. He broke her hold on him and fell to the ground, landing delicately. His coat fluttered around his waist as it fell and Gemini's eyes widened. He shot forward almost too fast for even her to see. She felt his fist hit her face and her chest multiple times. He hit her throat and she fell to her knees, coughing as she put her hands to her neck. Damion kciked her in the face and she fell to her back with a groan. He was bending by her and twisting his fingers in her shirt when Ben made his move.

He had changed once again and this time he was Wildmutt as though he had chosen the alien that most embodied Gemini's rage towards Damion. He leapt onto Damion's back and his teeth sunk into his shoulder. Damion's eye twitched at the attack but he didn't let go of Gemini. He stood and elbowed Ben in the stomach. He fell away, whimpering and Damion turned to glare at him. He pulled Gemini close to his chest and carressed her face with his fingers softly. Gemini flinched as he kissed her cheek and Gwen stared in shock at this bizarre sight.

"I think I may keep that one if you like him so much." Damion whispered into her ear. "Just come back, Gemini. Make this easier on everyone."

"No." Gemini groaned. "Never...Never! NEVER!"

The tjurunga around her neck glowed brightly and he was blown away from Gemini. Ben took the oppurtunity to catch him offgaurd. He attacked Damion like a viscious dog. Damion put an arm up to hold him back from his face as Ben growled, drool dripping from his mouth. Damion flung him aside and ran at Gemini. She jumped into the air before he could reach her. He stopped and stared up as he watched her float there for far longer than she should have been able to. She put her hands to her tjurunga and his eyes widened. He couldn't see it but he felt the shockwave as it approached. He had no way of dodging it before it hit him full force. He felt himself pressed into the ground and Gemini landed in front of him. He laid completely still and Gemini wondered if she had killed him at last. She approached him cautiously and bent over his unmoving body.

Damion's eyes snapped open and she gasped as he reached for her tjurunga. His hand was too fast to be seen and there was no way to avoid the inevitable. He pulled and the string snapped. Her human eye became hollow and tears spilled down her face. Damion stood with a triumphant grin as he clutched Gemini's precious pendant in his hand tightly. He held it out to her face with a laugh as the strings swayed in the wind. Gemini felt her heart stop. She felt her soul grow cold. And her world became darkness. She fell to her knees and stared up at Damion pleadingly, hands gripping at the ends of his coat. She placed her face against his leg and sobbed.

"Please, not my tjurunga!" she wailed, face soaked. "No, no, no, no! Please, give it back! I'm sorry. I'm sorry! Oh, god, give it back. Give it back! I'll do anything! Pleeease..."

Her pleads faded into incomprehensable sobs and moans as Damion laughed at her. She looked up into his eyes with a mournful expression and Damion smacked her across the face. Gwen gasped as she fell to her hands and sobbed miserabley. She had never heard such desolate howls of pain and her eyes filled with tears. She searched the landscape for Ben in hopes that he would save her but she was surprised to find him on his knees as well. He had changed back into himself and was sitting on the ground with a blank look. It was almost as if he were dead again. Without the control of Gemini he could do nothing and Gemini was in no condition to control another.


	7. Release

I just wanted to mention before this chapter that I always listen to music while I write and it usually influences my story. So for all fighting scenes in this and the last chapter I listened to Rammstein's album "Sehnsucht" so if you've got it you can listen to it while reading this to get the feeling. Some people like to do that. Another note, you may notice some similarities between my fighting scenes and DBZ. ; You can tell I watched it back in the day when I try to write fighting scenes. That's why I usually avoid it. So, I apologize for my cheap DBZ-esque fighting in advance.

One more thing, as I finish this off - there's gonna be an epilogue though - I find myself a little displeased with the way the end came out. I really do apologize that it's so...cruddy. At least now I can say that I have completely finished a chapter fanfiction. My first time ever! X3 Also, I warn that there is some out of character behavior in here. Only a little... ; God...I ended this so crappy. 

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Gwen watched in horror as Damion grabbed a hand full of Gemini's green hair. He pulled her along behind him as he approached the two humans. She scratched at his hand and choked on her sobs. However, the physical pain could not compare with the soul shattering agony that ripped through her heart. Her tjurunga was so close and yet the absence of it's life-giving spiritual energy left her feeling hollow and empty inside. Damion stopped in front of the humans and dropped her. She hit the ground like a lifeless doll and curled into herself. She snatched at her chest as though searching for the tjurunga that should be hanging there. She ripped her shirt and clawed at her skin. Blood seeped out of the ditches she was carving in her chest. It dripped down her fingernails and Gwen shook her head slightly at the heart-wrenching sight.

Unfortunately, her attention was redirected as Damion took the last two steps that brought him within inches of them. Max was quick to guard his granddaughter but Damion simply smacked him aside as though he were nothing. Max hit the ground and slid to a stop a few feet away. Gwen gasped and watched as the dust settled around him but unknown to anyone Ben's eyes also followed the movement. His eyes were slow and his face was blank but he was still taking notice of what was happening around him. His eyes went back to Damion as he bent over Gwen. Her face filled with terror. She knew he was going to kill her first. She could see it in the demonic look on his face. He raised a fist and as he did so she screamed.

As Gwen's scream echoed through the dark night a light seemed to switch on inside Ben's hollow body. Gemini's memories began to flash through his eyes as he gaped at the demon bending over his cousin. So many times he had struck her for no reason. So many times he had nearly killed her for running from him. Every moment of pain was filling Ben's mind. A loud crack sounded in the back of his head and he gasped. His face was consumed by a vengeful frown and he stood slowly, eyes shining as they focused on Damion's back. Gemini's eyes shot towards him as she sat up stiffly and they locked gazes for a mere second before she fell to the ground again, unconscious. Ben felt like Damion was moving in slow motion and as his hand fell he sped in front of him. 

Damion looked shocked to find his fist caught in the hand of the small boy he had mocked so the day before. He couldn't quite seem to comprehend what had happened and stared down at him with a look of utter confusion. There was no possible way this empty body could be moving while Gemini laid upon the ground immobile. Ben reared his fist back and slammed it into Damion's stomach as he gaped at him. Gwen was shocked at his strength as she watched Damion fly across the landscape. Ben sped towards him as he stood and he felt the young boy's foot hit his stomach several times. His fingers suddenly closed around Damion's throat and he felt himself thrown to the ground where Ben held him.

"You will give it back!" Ben growled, face pulled back into a frown filled with fangs. 

"Gemini..." Damion choked. "How-?"

"GIVE IT BACK!"

Damion felt himself lifted into the air suddenly and Ben landed a kick to his stomach that pushed him from his grip. He hit the ground and rolled to a stop. He stood slowly as he growled, wiping blood from his lip. He held the fist grasping Gemini's tjurunga up as Ben approached again and Ben's eyes narrowed. He shot forward and snatched at the strings but Damion laughed as he held it out of reach. Ben was so focused on the tjurunga that he didn't see Damion's elbow coming down on his head. He hit the ground under the force of the blow and Gwen put her hands to her mouth. Ben showed no signs of pain as he stood. Damion's exuberant grin faded into an angry frown as the boy took a stance with both fists held halfway up to his chest and his legs spread wide.

"Give it back..." he growled, light shining from the Omnitrix and spreading around him like an aura. 

"Insolent child!" Damion cried. "Take it if you can!"

He punched at Ben with the hand holding the tjurunga but Ben caught his fist again. He swiftly planted his free fist into Damion's chest and when he backed away - hand to the point of impact - Ben leaped into the air to land a kick in his face. As he stumbled back Ben turned and kicked with his other foot. Damion suffered a blow from each foot several times, stumbling backwards each time as he tried to regain his composure. Soon, however, he managed a counterattack. He grabbed Ben's ankle as he kicked again and spun him around once before throwing him at the others. He rolled when he hit the ground and stopped with his back touching Gemini's. She was so cold and her chest was still. He stood once again and stared down at the unmoving corpse with cold eyes for a moment Then he turned and faced Damion as he flew at him from behind.

His eyes were filled with rage and so were Ben's. He screamed and Gwen covered her ears at the horrifying sound emitting from her cousin's fang-filled mouth. Damion also grabbed at his ears as he slid to a stop. It was like the screeching of a demon and the sound was multiplied by Damion's superior hearing. Blood seeped through Damion's fingers as the sound assaulted his ears and Ben shot at him. He raised an arm as Ben tried to land a flying kick on his head. Ben hit his forearm instead and pushed off. He flipped as he flew through the air and landed on one knee, fists still raised. His head snapped up and the look on his face was so demonic it even made Damion worry. His face fell into a serious, relaxed look as he watched the boy carefully. It was obvious that Gemini had somehow found it in herself - even in her condition - to transfer her soul into this vessel through the connection made during the spell. How she had managed to do this was a mystery to him but he didn't have the time to figure it out.

Ben sped forward and punched at Damion rapidly. He blocked as many of the blows as he could but most of them hit his stomach or chest. Ben wasn't going to let up anytime soon so Damion ducked suddenly and as Ben's fist went over his head he planted a foot in the boy's stomach. The force sent Ben flying into the air and Damion hoped the impact killed him when he landed. Or at least rendered him immobile. He watched cautiously as the boy began to fall back to earth. His eyes grew wide as he saw the aura that surrounded him. He wasn't falling! He was using the spiritual energy Gemini had sent to his Omnitrix to force himself down faster. And he was aiming directly for Damion.

As Ben descended Damion raised his arms and the earth exploded around them when the possessed boy hit the demon. Gwen gasped as debris rained from the sky. A few pieces of earth hit Gemini and she finally ran to the woman's side. She checked her pulse and listened for a heartbeat but there was none. Gwen gave the corpse a look of regret but she hadn't the time to mourn for her death. She ran to her grandfather's side instead. He was still living but though she shook him he wouldn't wake. She hoped Damion hadn't placed some sort of spell on him. She put her arms around him and turned her eyes back to the fight that would decide their fates.

Ben was baring his fangs at the demon as he held him back with his large hands. He was holding Ben up in the air and the energy around Ben flickered as they pushed at one another. It disappeared suddenly and Ben fell to his feet but didn't let go of Damion's hands. They continued to grapple and push but neither could move the other an inch. Ben let out another scream that made Damion flinch. Ben took this opportunity to sweep his legs from under him. Damion fell and Ben descended on him. He went straight for the neck with his sharp teeth but Damion wedged his arm beneath Ben's chin, holding him back. Ben was so busy snapping at the flesh of the source of more rage than he had ever experienced in his ten short years that he didn't notice Damion's free hand sliding between them. There was a flash of light and Ben felt himself flying into the air again.

The spell had been the same he had used to kill Ben the first time but somehow - as Damion watched in triumph - the boy turned in the air and landed on his feet once more. Damion's face fell so that if the situation had not been so serious Gwen could have laughed at the expression. Never in his hundreds of years of living had this spell failed. But never had the soul he'd been trying to steal been in a foreign body. The shocked expression was fleeting and was soon overtaken by a look of determination. He clenched his fists tightly and his eyes glowed bright red. His body grew paper white and his nose seemed to disappear completely. Red tendrils shot back from his head and the same long, black nails that had grown from Gemini's fingers extended from beneath his human nails.

This worried Gwen but it didn't seem to phase Ben. Damion flew at him so fast that Gwen didn't see him until he was stopped by Ben's fist. It slammed into his stomach and before Damion could retaliate or retreat Ben's foot was hitting the side of his face. Damion stumbled to the side but kept his footing. Ben turned his head just in time to see the demon's fist coming at his face. He didn't seem to be concerned and his eyes focused on the strings that were hanging from his fingers. As the fist hit his face he simply stood with his eyes glued to the strings. He felt his body surge with a command that seemed to resonate through his entire being. 

Ben's fingers snapped around Damion's wrist suddenly and the demon gasped as he realized he had hit Ben with the wrong fist. Ben jerked it from his face and though Damion pulled with all his strength Ben wouldn't let go. He used his other hand to try to pry the pale fingers from around his precious tjurunga - Gemini's precious tjurunga - but to no avail. Damion's strength was matched only by his tenacity and there was no way Ben would get those fingers to part willingly. He would have to take the whole hand instead. Ben's frown slowly grew into a dark smirk and Damion watched in horror as the boy's mouth shot down to his wrist.

He shredded the skin as Damion struggled to free himself. He didn't scream but the pain was unbearable. He tried to pry himself free by placing a foot on Ben's side and pulling but this seemed to only cause more pain. Jerking his fist around in the boy's sharp teeth was only helping him to rip away at the layers of skin. He began to release muffled groans of pain as he ripped away at the muscle that was slowly becoming visible. He would try to send Ben flying away with a powerful kick or spell but he was afraid that the force would only help the boy reach his goal faster. He looked around in his panic for anything that would save him and his eyes landed on Gwen. He smiled through his pain and raised his other hand.

Gwen was shocked to find herself flying through the air suddenly. Max's head fell to the ground as she was jerked away from him. Ben didn't seem to take notice of the girl's approaching form but once she had passed his face he stopped gnawing on Damion's wrist. He watched silently as Damion's fingers curled around her neck, nails scratching across her skin sharply. Blood trickled down her neck and Ben's eye twitched, fangs bared. He looked from Damion's bloody wrist to the girl clutched in his other hand. The wind blew across the forsaken landscape and Ben's eyes caught the movement of the strings once more. 

His face screwed up in a look of confusion as he watched those strings fall still. This was more important. His precious tjurunga was more important. But his cousin. His eyes shot up to Gwen's and she pleaded with him silently. No. The tjurunga was more important. The tjurunga was life. The tjurunga was hope. The tjurunga was love. Without the tjurunga he had nothing. He was nothing. He needed it. The tjurunga was more important. He stared down at Damion's fist as the light from the tjurunga glowed ever so slightly. Yes. This was more important. As Ben was preparing to descend on Damion's wrist once more the sound of a forlorn voice stopped him, mouth open as it hovered over the mess he'd made of Damion's flesh.

"Ben, please?" Gwen whispered. "Please?"

Ben looked up slowly to see tears trailing down Gwen's cheeks. He closed his mouth and stared in silence as his mind seemed to switch to a completely different person. Gwen was more important, wasn't she? She would die if he didn't do something. No, this was the only chance he had to get the tjurunga back! If he released Damion now he would be empty forever! He watched as Damion's fingers tightened around Gwen's neck and she closed her eyes with a groan. Ben could feel pain pulsing from her body in waves. The feeling washed over him and the first voice in the back of his mind gave way to the second. The fingers clenched around Damion's wrist opened abruptly and as he pulled his injured hand towards him Ben punched him in the stomach. Damion released Gwen as his uninjured hand went to his abdomen instinctively. 

Ben caught Gwen in his arms quickly and shot back to Max's side. As he set her on her feet she looked up in awe. The red in Ben's eyes was beginning to fade. His iris didn't return to it's natural color but she could see the whites of his eyes again. The minute he had her safely on the ground he was gone. He shot back to Damion as he was inspecting the damage to his wrist. He was grimacing at the pain and didn't notice Ben until it was too late. He jumped into the air and Damion gaped up at him as he fell. His foot hit his injured wrist and Damion screamed in pain as it was slammed to the ground, taking the rest of him along for the ride. Ben pressed down on the bloody wound until Damion had no choice but to unclench his fist with a howl of pain.

Ben reached down to snatch the tjurunga away and as he stepped slowly towards Gemini's immobile body Damion growled. He stood and cradled his wrist for a moment. He raised a hand and as he did so Ben turned to face him. Ben looked shocked as black nails the size of swords pierced his stomach. He looked down slowly as blood poured from the wound. His Omnitrix flickered green and Damion was blown away by a sudden burst of energy. Ben stumbled backwards and put a hand to his stomach. He raised his small fingers to his eyes and watched almost in curiosity as blood trailed down his arm. Gwen ran towards him but as he turned she stopped suddenly at Gemini's side. 

Gemini snapped into a sitting position and they stared into one another's eyes again. As Damion tried to recover from the impact of his fall Ben walked forward slowly. He kneeled at Gemini's side and tied the tjurunga around her neck gently. She raised a hand and Ben placed his own against it. The blood between their palms shone and Ben jerked. Gemini blinked and looked around in confusion as he fell to the ground. She seemed shocked as she cupped her tjurunga in her hands but Gwen's gasp caught her attention. She was bending over her cousin with a panicked expression. Gemini stood and as she did so she saw the gaping wound in Ben's stomach. She frowned and opened her hands. The tjurunga rose above her palms and a white light shot down at Ben. Gemini had never been able to completely control the actions of her tjurunga before but something inside her was so calm and in control now. 

Ben's entire body began to glow with the white light as he levitated inches from the ground. The white energy poured down from the rest of his body and into the wound like a drain. As it began to heal Damion walked towards them with a limp. Ben's eyes snapped open as the light finally begin to disappear. It drained down from the rest of his body until it sputtered from the wound like a bubbling spring. It began to close in on itself and Gwen smiled as Ben sat up slowly. He smirked and stood, ready to do her biding once again. Together they turned to face Damion.

"You!" Damion shouted, still cradling his injured hand. "I own you! You cannot defeat me!"

"I seem to be doing just that." Gemini stated calmly, placing a hand on Ben's head.

"Yes." Damion smirked. "It does _seem_ that way doesn't it? But the truth is, you are merely killing yourself."

"I'm killing _you_!" Gemini snapped. "I'm taking my life back!"

Damion laughed loudly at this statement and Gemini narrowed her eyes, letting her hand slip from Ben's hair. 

"Life!" Damion chuckled, before growing serious. "The moment breath leaves my body you will die. I'm afraid this was part of our contract, my precious Gemini. You and I are one for now and forever."

Gwen's eyes grew wide as did Gemini's. Did this mean that if Gemini died Ben would follow her? Now the entire plan was ruined. If Damion died Gemini died. If Gemini died it was possible that Ben could as well. Unless, his soul made it back to his body first. Would that prevent Ben's death? If the death was instant would there even be enough time? The only person who didn't seem to be worried was Ben himself. He clenched his fist at his side and raised his arm. A hand went over the Omnitrix but as he scrolled through the icons Gemini put a hand out to stop him. He looked up curiously but her eyes remained on Damion's smirking face.

"What do you want from me, Damion?" Gemini whispered. "You've had all this time to find your way home. Is it taking that long?"

"Oh, I know the way home." Damion replied, smugly. "Unfortunately your human influence will not allow me to pass through."

"Then take my soul." Gemini whispered, coldly. "It will keep my eye functioning without the physical side effects. I'll let you take it if you'll give Ben's back."

"Gemini, my dear. You could never compare the soul of this child with your own." he replied with a frown. "You've never fought so hard for any other human. What is it about this boy that tempts you to trade your life for his?"

"Jealous?" Gemini whispered.

Damion's agitated expression became one of instant rage at this one small word. Gwen watched as the demon's uninjured hand stretched out towards them. She thought he would be trying to pull one of them in and threw her arms up in defense. When she didn't fly through the air she lowered them to find his arm was glowing a light green. She watched intently as the light shot down into his hand where a ball of shimmering light formed in his palm. He held this light up to his face and his fingers flinched as though he would extinguish the light in his fist. Gwen didn't quite understand what it was but when Gemini gasped her head snapped over to them. Tears ran down the right side of Gemini's face as she watched Ben slowly fall to his knees. His eyes became pitch black and his mouth hung open as he reached a hand out to Damion.

"I will not hesitate to destroy it." Damion whispered, no longer smug. "He means nothing to me. I kept it for you, Gemini. If you want it you must return to me. Alive."

"I'd rather return to you dead." she replied, eyes never leaving Ben. "Does it matter so much in what manner I return?"

"You are mine. Now and forever." Damion responded softly. "I will take you home with me. I have always planned to take you home with me. If I didn't want you by my side I could have taken your soul and departed long ago. My love for you is true, Gemini."

Gwen's eyes returned to Damion's face at this shocking statement and she was surprised to find that his face was somewhat softer. His eyes were somewhat sad and his voice was hollow. She couldn't understand how someone could be so cruel to a person they loved. She refused to believe it was possible however something in her heart saw that the love on Damion's face was genuine. Gemini's tears stopped and she slowly turned her eyes to stare into Damion's. The look on her face was more painful than any Gwen had ever seen.

"Your love for me is a lie." she whispered, fists clenching tightly. "I will not abide by it. I will not lie down by your side like an obedient dog. I will not withstand your beatings. And I will not be owned by you."

"Then you have sealed his fate." Damion replied, face becoming bitter.

Gwen watched in horror as Damion's fist began to close around the light that was Ben's soul but before he could do so Gemini was gone. She stopped in front of Damion suddenly and he gasped at her speed, stepping back. She raised a hand and grabbed hold of his wrist. Her face was twisted into a look of hatred as she snapped it with one swift movement. Damion stared in shock for a moment as it hung limply but as Ben's soul floated slowly to the ground he fell to his knees with a scream. Gemini placed her hand beneath Ben's soul and as she turned towards Ben a smile began to slowly consume her face. She was still taking her first few steps when she noticed the look of horror on Gwen's face. Her smile faded but before she could turn there was a pain in her chest.

Damion's eyes filled with tears that slowly trickled down his pale face as he bent over, arms wrapped around himself. His red tendrils extended from his head and pierced Gemini's back. She looked down to find them protruding from tiny, bloody holes in her chest. Damion let them fall away and as he straightened up three small holes appeared in his own chest. He threw his head back and stared up at the sky sadly, tears falling from his face like a stream. The eye he had stolen from Gemini began to glow and the light burst into the sky like a beam.

Gemini's demon eye did the same and as she screamed in pain Gwen hurried over to Ben. When the light faded away and Gemini lowered her head she began to change. The features she had inherited from Damion faded away. Damion was changing as well. As the human features began to recede Gwen could finally see who he really was. He had a green, ghost-like body with long, clawed fingers and red tendrils extending back from his crooked, white face. He was Ghost Freak but...not quite. Gwen wondered if he was some kind of magician of the same species. She didn't have much time to ponder this however. As Gemini's changes completed she began to fall forward, her long, black hair blowing behind her. 

Gwen gasped and reached her arms out to the girl. She didn't make it in time to catch her but when she hit Ben's soul flew from her grasp. Gwen caught it gently but wasn't sure what to do with it. She looked over to Ben who turned his blank face towards her and held out a hand. She looked back to Gemini who was pushing herself over, breathing heavily from the effort. She fell to her back and coughed. Blood sputtered from her mouth and her hair began to fade into gray. Her skin began to wrinkle ever so slightly and her eyes fluttered as she tried to hang onto life.

"Gemini..." Gwen whispered. "How do I ... ?"

Gemini beckoned for her to come closer and held her hands out slowly. It seemed to take a lot of her strength so Gwen quickly placed the soul in her hands. She used one to point at Ben and motioned with a finger. He crawled to her side on his hands and knees. She grabbed his shirt with a shaking fist and pulled him down to her face. Gwen couldn't hear what she whispered into his ear but as she did so the symbols on Ben's body lit up. His soul rose into the air slowly and he reached his hands out to it. As he cupped it between his palms and brought it close to his heart it faded away. Gemini smiled as she fell back and closed her eyes with a sigh. Ben's eyes returned to their natural color and Gwen watched cautiously as he blinked rapidly. He looked around frantically and fell back to his butt as he breathed heavily. He seemed a little confused but soon realization spread over his face.

"Gemini!" he shouted, kneeling at her side again. "Get up!"

"We're dieing, Ben." she replied in a cracked voice. "I can't."

"No! No! I have to save you! You have to get up!"

She shook her head slowly and her face seemed to age a little more. Gwen was surprised at the sadness on Ben's face. He seemed to be struggling not to cry as he watched her wither away before their eyes. He didn't know what to do but after being connected to her for so long he felt he had to do something. He looked around wildly and his eyes shot down to the markings on his chest as they slowly began to fade away. He turned them to the Omnitrix which was glowing with the light of Gemini's spiritual energy. He grinned and grabbed her arm, placing her hand on the device.

"Take it back!" he exclaimed. "Take the stuff from your necklace back!"

"No..."Gemini whispered, opening her eyes with a weak smile. "It wouldn't help. Keep it. A gift for the boy who freed me."

"No!" Ben insisted, tightening his fist around her fingers. "I don't want it! Take it back! Take it back!"

She closed her eyes once more and frowned. Tears fell from her eyes and flowed down the wrinkles on her face like small streams. An old, tired sigh escaped her lips as she pulled his hand down to her face. Ben watched as she placed the back of his hand against her cheek and her face became the picture of concentration. She had to put all her strength into pulling the spiritual energy back into her body. When she had succeeded she would be no closer to living again. However, she knew that she couldn't convince Ben of this. Ben smiled as her face became young and smooth once more. Her hair darkened and her breath evened out. 

His smile faded as her hand fell from his wrist and landed on the dusty earth below limply. Tears fell from Gwen's eyes as they watched her chest rise and fall on last time. It grew still. Their attention was taken away from her body as the sound of something being dragged through the sand filled the air. Ben looked up and his eyes were aflame with hatred as he watched Damion try to crawl over to them on his injured wrists - unable to fly in his weakened state. Gwen grimaced at the sight but Ben stood and threw his arms out to keep him from reaching Gemini.

"Get back!" he shouted. "Don't touch her!"

"Gemini..." the demon responded, falling on his face. "My precious Gemini...one last...time..."

"No!" Ben shouted at his still form. "Leave her alone!"

The ghost named Damion didn't reply. He lay still and quiet as his broken hands stretched out towards the one he had loved to death. Gwen wrapped her arms around herself as she stared down at the peaceful face of Gemini. She was happier to die free from him than to live hundreds of years under his control. Even if Damion had truly loved her in his own twisted way Gwen would never feel sorry for him. She focused her eyes on Ben's back as she wiped the few tears from her cheeks.

"He's gone." she whispered. "They're both gone."

Ben dropped his arms and clenched his fists. Gwen watched silently as he ran over to Damion's corpse and kicked it several times. It was like kicking a bag of garbage and Ben felt no satisfaction in the act. The more he kicked Damion the more rage filled his heart. He was shouting incoherently by the time Gwen could get her arms around his shoulders. She pulled him back and he jerked away, pushing her. They stared at one another for a moment. Ben's face was angry and hard while Gwen's eyes conveyed sympathy. Ben looked away and stomped off into the night. Gwen watched silently for a moment but soon turned her attention to her grandfather. Ben just needed some time alone. She was sure that this attachment to Gemini had developed from their minds becoming connected for so long. Now that his soul had returned the emotional aspect of the connection was catching up with him.

She tended to Grandpa but she was afraid it would be some time before he woke again. She was sure that if he had been under a spell it would have faded away when Damion died. She had a feeling this was true for all the spells Damion had cast. She wondered briefly if there was some man on the other side of the state waking up from the same kind of spell Gemini had put on Ben. She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest and leaned back against the RV as she waited for Ben to return. She didn't feel particularly comfortable with being alone in the dark with two corpses but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. Maybe in the morning they could give the poor girl a funeral. Gwen hoped so and she stared at Gemini's unmoving body until she could fight sleep off no longer.


End file.
